A Bathing Ape Eyewear
A Bathing Ape Eyewear
A Bathing Ape, also known as BAPE, is a Japanese streetwear brand founded in 1993 by NIGO. It encompasses men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, as well as a variety of accessories and lifestyle items.
Bape is known for their collaborations with such brands as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Supreme, Mastermind Japan, Stussy, ic! Berlin, Hello Kitty, Boston Club, RetroSuperFuture, Spongebob Squarepants and Marvel. The apparel is frequently seen on Justin Beiber, Drake, Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Chris Brown, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Pusha T, Travis Scott, among others.
The history of BAPE: how did BAPE start?
BAPE was founded by one man — the legend that is Nigo, with a little help from his friends. Like most of Japan’s streetwear brands, the label emerged from the underground Harajuku scene. Nigo opened up a clothing store, ‘NOWHERE’, with his contemporary Jun Takahashi of Undercover, and subsequently started designing his own clothes in collaboration with the elusive designer Sk8thing. Launching the label on a shoestring budget (Nigo could only afford to produce around 50 T-shirts per week) led to the unintentional invention of the two elements that form the backbone of today’s streetwear model — hype and scarcity.
So, what does BAPE mean?
BAPE’s definition is simple — it stands for A Bathing Ape and there are two meanings behind this. Firstly, it’s an homage to Nigo’s favorite film, Planet of the Apes. And secondly, it’s a reference to the Japanese idiom ‘a bathing ape in lukewarm water’, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the overindulgence of the young streetwear consumer.
Cop the signature BAPE style
BAPE clothing is loud, brash and colorful. The brand is responsible for some of the most iconic pieces in streetwear history, and that’s not a description we bestow lightly. There’s the full-zip shark hoodies complete with ‘World Gone Mad’ (WGM) varsity patches. And the distinctive shark design takes its inspiration from military artwork featured on fighter jets and battleships.
Then there’s the instantly-recognizable Cloud Camo print which injects BAPE with the cartoonish element of Japanese fashion. The signature print has featured on everything over the years. And when we say everything, we mean everything — from Pepsi bottles to duct tape and condoms. A true lifestyle brand.
Lastly, there’s the BAPE STA sneakers. The shoe is unequivocally and unapologetically a replica of Nike Air Force 1’s, except the famous swoosh is replaced with a lightning star, the colorways are mad flashy and the patent leather upper gives it a distinctive glossy sheen. You may wonder how BAPE got away with it. In short, Nike was unbothered — a testament to the highly-referential culture of early ‘00s streetwear.
Source: https://www.farfetch.com/style-guide/brands/do-you-even-bape-bro-the-complete-guide-to-a-bathing-ape/