BAPE Logo PNG
The BAPE logo suggests the company’s products are ideal for the jungle-like complexity of a big city’s streets. The brand’s stylish items don’t hinder movement and help you stand out. The emblem conveys the spirit of freedom and animal nature.
Nigo, born Tomoaki Nagao in Maebashi in 1970, entered fashion through Bunka Fashion College, Popeye magazine, and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s GOODENOUGH. On April 1, 1993, he opened NOWHERE in Ura-Harajuku with Jun Takahashi of Undercover, using borrowed money. The shop was split between Takahashi’s punk clothes and Nigo’s curated selection of American streetwear.
When Nigo’s sales were weak, designer SK8THING helped shape a new brand after a Planet of the Apes movie marathon. That idea gave birth to Bathing Ape, or BAPE. In the first years, Nigo made only 30-50 T-shirts a week. He sold half and gave the rest to Tokyo DJs, artists, and style leaders. By 1998, BAPE was sold in more than 40 stores in Japan. Nigo then pulled it from all retailers and focused sales on one Harajuku flagship.
In the 2000s, BAPE entered US hip-hop through Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D., who jeweler Jacob Arabo introduced to Nigo. In 2003, Nigo and Pharrell launched Billionaire Boys Club, followed by Ice Cream. Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and Kanye West helped spread BAPE in America. BAPE opened its first US store in Soho, New York, in 2004.
In 2002, BAPE released BAPESTA, a Nike Air Force 1-inspired sneaker with a star-lightning mark instead of the Swoosh. A Kanye West BAPESTA collaboration followed in 2007, tied to The College Dropout. By 2010, BAPE’s momentum slowed, and it closed its Los Angeles and New York stores. In 2011, Nigo sold 90.27% of A Bathing Ape to Hong Kong’s I.T Group for about $2.8 million, stayed for two years, and left in 2013.
Meaning and History
The store’s name, Nigo, is trendy, as everyone in Japan knows. It references the image from the 1968 film Planet of the Apes. After thinking it over, the founder decided to beat it and associate it with Japanese culture. BAPE stands for A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water, using the first letters of the first two words. The Japanese usually take daily baths in warm water (above 40 degrees), and some enjoy bathing until the water cools. Thus, the phrase ironically means a rich man who loves to pamper himself. This was the originally intended buyer base.
The trademark owner was actively promoting it. To that end, Nigo gave friends half the products from each weekly sewing batch so they could wear and popularize his clothes. Performer Keigo Oyamada became one of the “objects of walking advertising.” Then, the store owner got carried away with DJ work and recorded an album, raising the brand’s prestige. In February 2011, he moved to the Hong Kong-based IT Group, which bought back more than 90 percent of the shares.
What is BAPE?
This Japanese streetwear brand has become a symbol of contemporary culture, known for its iconic monkey-head design and unique camouflage print. The range includes clothing, accessories, and footwear in vibrant colors and unconventional patterns, and limited-edition releases consistently spark high demand. The brand is renowned for collaborations with well-known companies, musicians, and artists, creating collections that attract collectors’ attention. Its standout feature is its ability to blend street fashion with Japanese pop culture, appealing to hip-hop enthusiasts, street-style fans, and premium fashion connoisseurs.
However, the new owner did not change the logo, considering that using the well-promoted image is reasonable, since it appears on all branded products. Moreover, he continued the line of prints based on famous films. One of his most recent collaborations is with Disney (based on the cartoon Ralph Breaks the Internet).
Bapesta Logo
The Bapesta sneaker line is from the Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape, which became famous for its original design approach. The Air Force 1 series inspired the brand, so its emblem contains a check mark similar to the famous Nike symbol. Here, it resembles lightning as it merges with one of the five-pointed star’s triangular projections. Many also associate the star with the cult sign of another trademark, Converse. But the Bapesta logo is tilted left and features rays of varying lengths, creating a dynamic effect. The attached check mark resembles a speed line, a trace depicting fast movement. The emblem is presented in a black-and-white palette, though it can be in any other color on the sneakers.
Font and Colors
The BAPE camouflage logo is commonly known as Cloud Camo. It depicts a monkey. It is a composite image of the characters from the film The Planet of the Apes, with a hint of humanity and irony in the Japanese phraseological unit about carefree lovers soaking in warm water. No specific facial features appear; only common spots are shown, and the animal’s head is drawn within those spots.
The center is light, painted in a flesh-yellow tint. Schematically, sunken areas mark the eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, and cheeks. Everything else is covered with thick, dark brown hair. The monkey has no torso, only the head and upper bust. The emblem became popular because it was used as a T-shirt print from the beginning.
The brand name has been spelled differently, but the typeface most often resembles the College font. In contrast, the color palette has remained stable: two shades of brown, flesh tones, and earthy tones.
FAQ
What does the BAPE logo mean?
The BAPE logo reflects the name of a trendy streetwear brand. The word itself conveys two meanings. First, it’s a popular Japanese expression: a monkey bathing in warm water, that is, a person who lives a carefree, spoiled life, indulged by others’ attention. Second, it refers to the company’s founder’s favorite film, Planet of the Apes.
What is the BAPE symbol?
The BAPE symbol is a serious-looking monkey whose head and torso are almost completely covered in hair. Flesh-colored spots appear through the dark background, forming the animal’s forehead, nose, mouth, and cheek. The full name of the Japanese brand appears around it: “A Bathing” at the top and “Ape” at the bottom. The inscription is large and bold, with large rectangular serifs.
What animal is the BAPE logo?
The animal depicted on the BAPE logo is a monkey (presumably a gorilla). It is both ironic and philosophical. On the one hand, it points to the carefree younger generation (from the idiom “bathing monkey”). On the other hand, it refers to the smart and developed characters of the film “Planet of the Apes.