Review of Bathing Ape (Bape) Japanese Clothing Line

Bathing Ape. No, it's not a large hairy gorilla in a shower cap taking a bath. It's a Japanese hip hop clothing line that was founded in 1993 by Tomoaki Nagao (Nigo). Today, Bathing Ape has stores across Japan, London, and in New York City. Bathing Ape has become very popular both in Japan and here in the United States. Its logo derives from the original Planet of the Apes movies.

Bathing Ape Shoes

Bathing Ape began selling shoes in 2002. These shoes, while designed like sneakers, are not your everyday run of the mill tennis shoes. The shoes resemble the Nike Air Force One's. The difference is bathing Ape Shoes are made of patent leather and they come in a wide variety of vibrant colors. Another big difference is that they have a very limited production. It has been rumored that less than 200 pairs of Bathing Ape Shoes have been released in certain styles. No wonder so popular! That must be another reason why Bape can get away with charging so much. Shoes will cost you at least $200.

Bathing Ape has attracted stars from the hip hop world. Kanye West even got to design a pair of Bape shoes. I bet he got at least one pair from the limited release! Marvel Comics also had its own design of Bape shoes. The left shoe has a Marvel character and the right shoe has the Marvel logo. The shoes come wrapped up in plastic just like a Marvel Action Figure would.

Bathing Ape Hoodies

Bathing Ape hoodies are also extremely popular. Of course, these are definitely going to cost you a small fortune. One of the interesting and unique features of the Bathing Apes hoodie is the zipper. The hoodies zip from the bottom all the way to the very top of the hood instead of stopping at the neck, so you could zip yourself up in one of these hoodies. The hoodies also come in a "chompers" style. The zippers one these hoodies are designed like teeth. Some of them even come with red or green gums.
Bathing Ape T-Shirts are equally popular and diverse. You can find them with the Bathing Ape logo and different sayings, including the popular, "Ape Shall Never Kill Ape."

Bathing Ape also offers a mesh hat that has Swarovski Crystals. It comes in white, black, pink, blue, and yellow. It has the Bathing Ape logo and says, "A Bathing Ape."

Since Bape is so popular and so limited, be prepared to encounter a few knock offs. Here is a website dedicated to helping you spot the fakes. Before you drop hundreds of dollars for a Bape, check this out to make sure you are getting the real deal:

http://www.geocities.com/edvedsimon/bapeindex.html