A Bathing Ape
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A Bathing Ape (often called simply Bape) is a Japanese clothing company that specializes in urban streetwear. It began in 1993 as a T-shirt brand and originated out of the Harajuku area of Shibuya in Tokyo becoming one of the very first Japanese streetwear brands to start in the early 1990s. Bape's logo and themes are all derived from the original Planet of the Apes movies. The brand's name is based on a common Japanese saying, "bathing in lukewarm water", that describes the willingness of Japan's youth to follow popular trends.
Prior to starting his label the creator Nigo worked for Boon. Boon is one of a number of mens magazines in Japan that focuses on street name brand fetishism.
Bape is known for its shrewd marketing, particularly the use of very limited production runs in order to stoke demand for its product. Bape stores are also usually hard to find and are not usually marked with signs to maintain exclusivity. Many stores have a one product per person policy to prevent any of the items from appearing on the black market. Bape has become so popular in Japan that it was commissioned to design a limited edition Pepsi bottle. Over the years, Bape has extended its brand from T-shirts (Baby Milo & Bathing Ape) to other apparel such as sneakers (Bape Sta, Manhunt), jeans and even underwear. A Bathing Ape has extended beyond clothing to a hair salon (Bape Cuts), gallery (Bape Gallery), cafe (Bape Cafe), record label (Ape Sounds) and (B)apeTV. A Bathing Ape also produces limited-edition hip hop-themed vinyl figures.
Although not as popular as the brand is in Japan, Bape has reached mainstream in the United States on account of popular entertainers wearing the brand, such as Pharrell Williams of hip hop production duo the Neptunes, the President of Def Jam Recordings, Jay-Z, and the president of Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne. Due to the success of the creative live, Pharrell has collaborated on a clothing and sneaker line with its designer. Bape's popularity in the United States was cemented when he opened the first American Bape store in New York City in 2004.
A Bathing Ape's success has earned Nigo, the creator of Bape, a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin, a Bentley Continental Mulliner Edition, a Ferrari 360 Modena and a home valued at $30 million. He is also in collaboration with Pharrell on his clothing line called Billionaire Boys Club
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