Since its inception in 1993, A Bathing Ape has evolved into a lifestyle, not just a fashion brand. Dabbling in beauty, art, and music, the Japanese label has been praised for its unique approach to marketing, and has inspired other Japanese streetwear brands to take cues from its success. The BAPE (as it is popularly known) movement was lead by Teriyaki Boyz musician, DJ, and streetwear enthusiast Nigo and friend Sk8thing, right after Nigo opened his exclusive boutique “Nowhere” in Harajuku with Undercover’s Jun Takahashi.
The label was the first to actively employ rappers like Yeezy, A$AP Ferg, and N.E.R.D in its marketing strategy. We spoke to Pusha T—musician, Marcelo Burlon collaborator, and long-time Nigo friend—on what BAPE means to the world of streetwear, and how he thinks the brand has grown since the ‘90s: “BAPE was my introduction to streetwear culture,” Pusha T noted. “It was my introduction to Japanese culture and it was the inspiration for my own clothing line Play Cloths that I have had for 7 years. It was my humble beginning. Nigo backed a record called “Grindin” in 2002, and he began to mail clothes to my house. I was just a kid from Virginia who had never seen Japan before.” Pusha T noted how Nigo used musicians to promote the brand and give it a sense of credibility in the world of streetwear. “I am the translator to the streets,” Pusha T said. “When I do something, street kids know it’s okay. The guys in the hood know it’s okay. Whether it be BAPE or Saint Laurent, I give it the validation.”
In her book Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd, author Youngme Moon states, “BAPE is the hostile marketer come to life in fugitive urban fashion,” highlighting how “scarcity stokes demand” in the world of retail. Nigo’s whole mantra for BAPE was centralized in reverse psychology marketing, creating clothing in limited runs in order to create an exclusivity to their brand identity. “I feel like every streetwear brand is chasing the greatness of BAPE’s branding,” Pusha T noted. “It’s second to none. No one has mastered branding and lifestyle like BAPE.” In a 2011 interview with AnOther Mag, Nigo highlights his actual lack of business strategy when approaching his business, and his success being entirely organic. “I started out as an enthusiast,” he said, “and I managed to become successful by doing what I wanted to do. There's really no master plan.”
BAPE has been the master of collaborations, with over 50 collaborative projects in the last two decades. The brand has joined forces with a plethora of Opening Ceremony brands and friends, like Pharrell Williams, Mark McNairy,
The label was the first to actively employ rappers like Yeezy, A$AP Ferg, and N.E.R.D in its marketing strategy. We spoke to Pusha T—musician, Marcelo Burlon collaborator, and long-time Nigo friend—on what BAPE means to the world of streetwear, and how he thinks the brand has grown since the ‘90s: “BAPE was my introduction to streetwear culture,” Pusha T noted. “It was my introduction to Japanese culture and it was the inspiration for my own clothing line Play Cloths that I have had for 7 years. It was my humble beginning. Nigo backed a record called “Grindin” in 2002, and he began to mail clothes to my house. I was just a kid from Virginia who had never seen Japan before.” Pusha T noted how Nigo used musicians to promote the brand and give it a sense of credibility in the world of streetwear. “I am the translator to the streets,” Pusha T said. “When I do something, street kids know it’s okay. The guys in the hood know it’s okay. Whether it be BAPE or Saint Laurent, I give it the validation.”
In her book Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd, author Youngme Moon states, “BAPE is the hostile marketer come to life in fugitive urban fashion,” highlighting how “scarcity stokes demand” in the world of retail. Nigo’s whole mantra for BAPE was centralized in reverse psychology marketing, creating clothing in limited runs in order to create an exclusivity to their brand identity. “I feel like every streetwear brand is chasing the greatness of BAPE’s branding,” Pusha T noted. “It’s second to none. No one has mastered branding and lifestyle like BAPE.” In a 2011 interview with AnOther Mag, Nigo highlights his actual lack of business strategy when approaching his business, and his success being entirely organic. “I started out as an enthusiast,” he said, “and I managed to become successful by doing what I wanted to do. There's really no master plan.”
BAPE has been the master of collaborations, with over 50 collaborative projects in the last two decades. The brand has joined forces with a plethora of Opening Ceremony brands and friends, like Pharrell Williams, Mark McNairy,