Highsnobiety

BAPE

FOUNDED

1993 in Ura-Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

FOUNDER

WHERE IS BAPE BASED?

Tokyo, Japan, though parent company I.T Ltd. is based in Hong Kong

WHO OWNS BAPE?

Back in 2011, Hong Kong company I.T Ltd. acquired a 90% stake in A Bathing Ape after the Japanese company had seen significant losses the previous years. It then wholesale purchased BAPE from NIGO.

IS BAPE OWNED BY ADIDAS?

No. BAPE is currently owned by I.T Ltd.

WHO WORE BAPE FIRST?

A hot topic among those in the hip hop community, BAPE started to garner even more popularity after seen on the likes of Notorious B.I.G, Soulja Boy, The Clipse, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne

WHAT DOES BAPE MEAN?

BAPE stands for A Bathing Ape — first and foremost a term that pays homage to NIGO’s favorite film, Planet of the Apes. It is also a reference to the Japanese idiom ‘a bathing ape in lukewarm water’, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the overindulgence of the streetwear obsessed youths

1993

A Bathing Ape is officially founded by NIGO.

1998

By 1998, BAPE was sold in 40 stores across Japan. To increase interest in the label, NIGO would only supply 10% of overall demand.

1998-2001

BAPE continues to explode in popularity across Japan and slowly begins to make its way West, eventually appearing on the likes of rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Around this time BAPE collaborates with Pepsi and NIGO links up with Pharrell Williams for the first time.

2005-2006

BAPE officially enters the US market, opening stores in New York and LA.

2007

Kanye West designs his own BAPESTA sneaker.

2009-2011

BAPE accrues financial issues leading to NIGO stepping down from the company.

A Bathing Ape is then sold to I.T Ltd, a Hong Kong fashion conglomerate.

2022

HUGO shook up the British tailoring-inspired BAPE sub-label, Mr. Bathing Ape, with a collaboration that included apparel and BAPESTAs alike.

BAPE launches a highly coveted Hot Wheels collab.

BAPE launches an inexplicable collaborative project with Vogue Japan.

BAPE announces its debut NFT collection. It’s decried by fans but sells nonetheless.

Latest Stories

  • BAPE Made an Extremely Unlikely adidas Sneaker Ridiculously Fly

    • Sneakers
  • Wide Leg Jeans Are Here to Stay & These Pieces Say So

    • Style
  • 25 Streetwear Brands Every Highsnobiety Reader Should Know & Where To Buy Them

    • Style
  • BAPE & Vans' Skate Shoes Prove Great Collabs Can Be Simple

    • Sneakers
  • BAPE Is... Looking Seriously Fresh Again

    • Style
  • A Love Letter To '90s Fashion

    • Style
  • Lighter, Longer, Lazier Days Call for Comfier, Cooler, Casual Clothes

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • BAPE & adidas' Jumbo Skate Sneaker Is a Big Throwback

    • Sneakers
  • BAPE Has BAPE-ified Another adidas Classic

    • Sneakers
  • Masters of Monochrome: 12 Black and White Sneakers to Shop Now

    • Style
  • Is There Still a Market for NFT Streetwear Merch?

    • Style
  • Winter Essentials from StockX

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • StockX Picks That are Below Retail and Above Board

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • At Last, BAPE Made adidas Sneakers I'd Actually Wear

    • Sneakers
  • These Are the Best BE@RBRICKs to Buy Right Now

    • Style
  • The 23 Spookiest Halloween Sneakers to Buy Right Now

    • Sneakers
  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About BAPE (and Some Things You Didn't)

    • Style
  • BAPE x Highsnobiety Collaborate on a Full Fall Uniform

    • Style
  • AAPE & Vans’ New Camo Collaboration Refuses to Hide

    • Sneakers
  • EXCLUSIVE: BAPE's MSCHF Boots Are Real But They Can't Hurt You

    • Sneakers
  • Inter Miami's Pink Jersey Has Been BAPE-ified

    • Style
  • EXCLUSIVE: Backstage & Up Close With BAPE's First-Ever Fashion Show

    • Style
  • BAPE & adidas Go For Round 2 On the Campus

    • Sneakers
  • Billionaire Boy: A Timeline of Pharrell Williams’ Ascendance Into a Fashion Icon

    • Culture
  • Wrap Your Walls in Art for BAPE's 30th

    • Design
  • With Jorts & Tie-Dye, BAPE x COMME des GARCONS Feels Like Summer '95

    • Style
  • 30 Years of BAPE Deserves Two Shades of adidas

    • Sneakers
  • BAPE's 30th Birthday Present Is Another adidas Collab

    • Sneakers
  • BAPE’s Fred Perry Reunion Is Exactly What You'd Expect

    • Style
  • New BAPEX Watches Just Landed & These Are the Best

    • Watches
  • A Fresh Batch of BAPE STAs, Courtesy of SSENSE

    • Sneakers
  • Fight Your Winter Blues With These Colorful Shoes

    • Selects
  • Nike Moves to Sue BAPE for Trademark Infringement on Several Sneakers

    • Sneakers
  • JJJJound's Basic BAPE Is Back for 2023

    • Sneakers
  • 13 of the Best A Bathing Ape BAPE STAs to Buy Today

    • Sneakers
  • Toys That Adults Can Get Away With Owning

    • Style
  • Why Aye, Man! BAPE Is Having a Night On the Toon

    • Style
  • All Strikes, No Spares for END. x BAPE

    • Style
  • Need For Speed: BAPE UK x Pagani

    • Design
  • Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, & Venom Join the BAPE STA Line Up

    • Sneakers
  • Louis De Guzman Hops on the ROADSTA With BAPE

    • Sneakers
  • BAPE Pays Another Visit to adidas' Superstar Sneaker

    • Sneakers
  • DSM Ginza Turns 10 With Bespoke Off-White™, Stüssy, Chrome Hearts

    • Style
  • These Are the Best Timberlands to Cop Before the Bad Weather Begins

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • BAPE Celebrates its First Year in the Big Smoke

    • Sneakers
  • 10 Steps to the Coziest Season of Your Life

    • Design
    • sponsored
  • For BAPE & OVO's FW22 Linkup, Ape Still Shall Never Kill Owl

    • Style
  • COMME des GARÇONS & BAPE Are Back With a Bang

    • Style
  • BAPE & CDG Go Incognito With FW22 Camo

    • Style
  • Tracking Status: USPS' BAPE STAs Are on the Way

    • Sneakers
  • Get More BAPE for Your A.P.C Buck

    • Style
  • BAPE STA Avengers – Assemble!

    • Sneakers
  • Street Art, Streetwear, and Street Photography Royalty Combine On This Camera

    • Style
  • BAPE FW22 Unearths the Archives

    • Style
  • BE@RBRICK Says Happy Birthday To BAPE

    • Style
  • "Haters Getting Mad Cuz I Got Me Some (New Balance) Bathing Apes!"

    • Sneakers
  • HUGO, I'd like you to meet my friend MR. BATHING APE

    • Style
  • BAPE Just Got a Serious Set of Hot Wheels

    • Design
  • Heron Preston x BAPE Is a Throwback to the Days of NIGO

    • Culture
  • What to Wear on the Basketball Court

    • Style
  • BAPE’s Recalls Its Hip-Hop Roots in Latest CDG Collab

    • Culture
  • Camo? Shark Teeth? BAPE's New Balance 57/40 Has 'Em All

    • Sneakers
  • So, Uh, Vogue x BAPE Is a Thing

    • Culture
  • It's Time for the Annual Living Room Facelift With a Discount

    • Design
    • sponsored
  • Here Are the Best Batman Kicks & Collectibles to Cop Right Now

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • BAPE'S New Vans Are More Colorful Than Ever

    • Sneakers
    • sponsored
  • BAPE's NFT Designs Are Bananas

    • Culture
  • Now, You Can BAPEify the Crib With BAPE x Tendo Mokko Chairs

    • Culture
  • JJJJound's Premium BAPE Collab Is Too "Tasteful"

    • Sneakers
  • Monkeys & Apes, Beware! There’s a New BAPE on the Blockchain

    • Culture
  • Graf Meets Skate For the BAPE SK8 STA Spring '22 Collection

  • BAPE & Woolrich Bring Their Best Patterns to the Party

    • Style
  • It Took This Long to Drop BAPE x 'Squid Game'!?

    • Culture
  • Skatewear Past Meets Streetwear Present in Tommy Jeans x AAPE

    • Culture
  • BAPE & Stüssy Go Noir at CdG's Parisian Black Market

    • Style
  • StockX Data Shows BAPE Had a Big 2021, But That 2022 Could Be Even Bigger

  • BAPE & Reebok's Latest Collaboration Is Giving Us Déjà Vu

  • If It Happens, BAPE x Supreme Will Make History

    • Culture
  • BAPE & Union Got Together to Make Streetwear History

    • Culture
  • Solebox Gives Us the Inside Scoop on Its Made in Italy BAPE-STA

  • BAPE SS22 Has Everything But the Camo Kitchen Sink

    • Culture
  • AAPE Channels 'Minecraft's Creeper Into Camo Cubes

    • Culture
  • Licenses at the Ready — BAPE STAs Are Back on the Road

  • Thanks to Hajime Sorayama, BAPE is the Sexiest Robot

    • Style
Load More

Bape Highlights

  • The Best BAPE Sneakers Released in the Last Few Years

  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About BAPE (and Some Things You Didn't)

    • Style
  • 20 Music Videos That Helped Make BAPE Hip-Hop’s Hottest Brand

    • Style
  • A Bathing Ape’s BAPE STA Will Always Be a Streetwear Icon, Here's Why

  • BE@RBRICK Says Happy Birthday To BAPE

    • Style