A bathing ape
| A bathing ape | |
|---|---|
| legal form | |
| founding | 1993 |
| Seat | Tokyo , Japan |
| Branch | Textile industry |
| Website | bape.com |
A Bathing Ape (Japanese ア ・ ベ イ シ ン グ ・ エ イ プ, A Beishingu Eipu ) or BAPE is a Japanese fashion label that was founded in 1993 by designer Nigo in Ura-Harajuku . The label specializes in lifestyle and streetwear for men, women and children and currently has 19 stores in Japan . Outside of Japan, there are stores in Hong Kong , New York City , London , Taipei , the People's Republic of China , Bangkok , Paris and Singapore . Nigo also founded the secondary lines AAPE (by A Bathing Ape) and BAPY . In 2011 the majority stake in A Bathing Ape, or the parent company Nowhere Co., was sold to the IT fashion group. Founder Nigo left the company in 2013. The Bape brand is protected by trademark law.
history
Nigo , the founder, lists his parents as being formative for him and his work. Since his mother worked as a nurse and his father as a poster maker, he was often alone as a child and spent a lot of time with toys, the bond with them is evident in his clothes.
After borrowing 4 million yen from a friend, he and Jun Takahashi of Undercover opened their first store on April 1, 1993 in Ura-Harajuku.
"BAPE" stands for "A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water". The Japanese usually bathe in hot water with temperatures above 40 ° C. In this sense, bathing in lukewarm water means that you are complacent and not striving for more. This is supposed to be an ironic reference to the brand's main customers, the lazy young Japanese who are resting on their parents' wealth.
To increase brand awareness, he gave his T-shirts to the musician Cornelius , who wore them when he performed. For the first two years, Nigo produced between 30 and 50 shirts a week, half of which he sold and the other half distributed to friends.
On February 1st, 2011 it was announced that "A Bathing Ape" will be sold 90% for HK $ 21.2850.00 to the Hong Kong fashion conglomerate IT Group. Nigo finished working with Bape two years later.
Bape is now an established brand in Japanese street fashion and is worn by Japanese stars.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Breaking Down Bapes TheHipHopIcon.com, 2007. Retrieved on 4 October of 2007.
- ↑ [1] bape.com, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ↑ Information on the Union trademark number 003899259 for BAPE in the register of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
- ↑ CNN.com - Nigo Talkasia Transcript - Feb 28, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2019 .
- ↑ IT Hong Kong Purchase a 90% Financial Stake in A Bathing Ape. Retrieved June 13, 2019 .
3. http://www.madewithjapan.com/news/2011/bape-is-sold-for-only-28-million-find-out-why/