The Death Of Bathing Ape
Bathing Ape was founded in 1993 by Tomoaki Nagao who goes by the nickname Nigo. The company produces urban fashion that continues to become ever more popular and well know around the world. There in lies the problem that the brand is now experiencing. Despite becoming ever more and more commercially successful the brand is doomed to failure, and will probably exist in relative obscurity within a few years.One of the elements that made Bathing Ape so popular in Japan was its unique “Japaness” now threatened by expansion into Hong Kong, Taipei, and New York. Where as before anyone wearing Bathing Ape was assumed to have traveled to Japan, actually found the fairly well hidden stores, and paid the exhorbent price of the clothing. Today there may be as many knock off bathing apes popping up around the world as originals. Very few people wearing Bathing Ape today actually own real Bathing Ape, making anyone that pays the ridiculously high price for the incredibly watered down brand rather foolish.
With more and more stores opening around the world and desperate expansions such as the Bape Cuts hair salon, Bape Cafe, and Bape Sounds Records combined with the abundance of fakes and the ‘clientèle’ so clueless they are unable to separate the fake from the real Bathing Ape appears doomed. It is unlikely that Baby Milo will live to become an adult.
Tags: Baby Milo, BAPE, Bathing Ape, Clothing, Nigo
