A Bathing Ape

Nigo opened A Bathing Ape in Tokyo's Ura-Harajuku in 1993, naming it after Planet of the Apes and a Japanese saying about over-indulged youth, 'a bathing ape in lukewarm water'. Limited runs and word of mouth built the hype, and the ape-head camouflage, the Bapesta sneaker and the full-zip shark hoodie made BAPE one of the defining labels of 2000s streetwear. Hong Kong's I.T Group bought the company in 2011, and Nigo left two years later.