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Bape Shoes |
A Bathing Ape was started in 1993 by Nigo as a T-shirt brand, originating in the Harajuku area of Shibuya in Tokyo, becoming one of the first Japanese streetwear brands. Bape''s logo and themes are derived from the original Planet of the Apes movies, while the brand''s name is based on a common Japanese saying, "bathing in lukewarm water", describing the willingness of Japan''s youth to follow popular trends.
The footwear industry was forever changed with the released of the Bape Sta shoes. It was finally official, hip hop and urban trends were a huge market - even in Japan. The Bape Sta shoes were very very unique and trend setting. Though the Bape Sta shoes took inspiration from the Nike Air Force Ones, they were extremely different fundamentally.
The goal of the Bape shoes was never to be an athletic shoe, but rather a limited sneaker that no one else would have ever seen or dreamed of. The shiny patent leather and bright colors seperated the Bape shoes from all other casual shoes. Not only did these features set the Bape shoes apart from the others, but really caught someone''s eye when look to buy a new pair of sneakers.
Recently Bape has reached mainstream culture in the United States on account of popular entertainers wearing the brand, such as Pharrell Williams of hip hop production duo the Neptunes, the President of Def Jam Recordings, Jay-Z, R&B singer J. Hall, Kenny Tran From Seattle, Washington, Fall Out Boy and rap-artists Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and The Clipse.
Finding Bape Sta shoes is pretty hard in the US. There are some sneaker boutiques who have a few pairs at any given moment, but the sure bet way to find an authentic pair of Bape Sta shoes is to take a trip to New York''s Soho district and get a pair from the Footsoldier store. Bape Sta shoes start at $190 per pair which is alot less than what you would pay if you wanted to grab a pair from Vintage Kicks but they probably won''t be an exclusive edition. Also, as a word of wisdom, don''t buy any Bape Stas from any online sites unless its Vintage Kicks since there is a flood of fake Bape Sta shoes sold online.
Nigo has featured American artists, such as the lead singer of Good Charlotte and Pharrell Williams, in Bathing Ape advertisements and catalogue features. Due to the success of the creative live, Pharrell has collaborated on a clothing (Billionaire Boys Club) and sneaker (Ice Cream) line with its designer. The Ice Cream line of shoes is produced by rbk (Reebok) with input from Bathing Ape''s Nigo. Bape''s popularity in the United States was cemented when he opened the first American Bape store in New York City in 2004.
Starting at approximately $200 per pair, the Bape Sta shoes are much more expensive than their Nike Air Force Ones counterpart, but the Bape Sta shoes (most famous Bape Stas) are much more limited than the Air Force Ones. Many of the Bape Sta shoes were made in runs of 200 and less! Compare that the the super limited Air Force One Lux was made in 3,000 pairs and sold for about the same price. |
| PUB Date:
2008-1-22 |
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