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An Overview of Bape (A Bathing Ape)
Brand Bape, also known as A BathingApe, is a Japanese brand that targets the Urban and hip-hop fashion scene. Aswell as selling clothing, the company also owns hair salons and music labelswhich all help to compliment the brand. The company was founded in 1993 and hasrapidly gained popularity throughout Asia andthe western world. The company now has boutique stores in New York, Taiwan andLondon as wellas having members-only shops and a record label among its many assetsthroughout the world.
The man who started the company is called Tomoaki Nagao- he is known under the alias Nigo – says that his main reasons for startingthe company was the inspiration that he took from his parents. As well as beinginfluenced by his parents, one of whom was a nurse and another a marketer,Hiroshi Fujiwara was also a large influence despite being a designer in a farearlier period in Japanese fashion and culture and there being a lack ofobvious similarities between their works. The nickname, Nigo, means number 2 inJapanese and the name of his stores is directly pulled from the film Planet ofthe Apes. The company, unlike major fashion brands of today, was not started ona major budget. They gave t-shirts away to inspirational music figures and usedthat as a means of gaining viral exposure. This worked very well, and quicklypushed demand for the clothing well above supply. This was a deliberate move byNigo, who felt he would later reap the rewards for making his clothing hard tocome by.
The company sells a wide variety of clothing includingjackets, sweatshirts, jeans and also their own brand of shoe – Bape Sta – whichhas been compared to Nike trainers in appearance. The urban wear is seen asfashionable and a cultural statement by teenagers and young adults alike.
The company’s individualism and unique approach can bebest depicted by their company website. Rather than having any information, thestylish one page site invites only one action on their website – to download anapplication. The application then has music and slick graphics, which helps tore-enforce the unique style that Nigo has managed to attach to the brand.
Nigo started the company with one idea that he wantedto be central to everything – the customer should feel grateful for beingallowed to buy his product, rather than the other way round.
One of the ways this idea was driven home was throughthe limited production of all items that are sold. Not only does this makehigher costs more justifiable, it also means that celebrity figures are happyto wear the clothes because they know the chances are low that anyone else willbe seen wearing the same thing. Bape is a unique brand that has the respect offashion gurus and marketing experts alike. For years into the future it is safeto say that Bape will continue to gain mindshare and grow as a company.
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