BAPE is definitely mainstream

[Mbrand]

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http://zubeteru1.free.fr/Bape%20Sounds%20Allsta!!!%20High%20%20By%20Zujin%20From%20JL2S.WMV

--- Original message by Mbrand on Jul 17, 2005 06:33 AM

"ekshclusivity yu know" hehe . I think I still have the "ape sounds" cd somewhere, it's actually how I first heard about Nigo....Anybody who listens to that can't say the hiphop connection wasn't there from the start.

--- Original message by Fuuma on Jul 17, 2005 09:35 AM

I still have this MOWAX APE SOUNDS CD too and I love it but I have to admit that its a quite different mood than the recent NIGO releases even if it contains some hiphop tunes.

[STOLEN FROM POLAND]

During my last trip to Nueva York, I was dreading my Bape retail run-in. My boy back home was fiending a Kaws Hoodie, so I made the trip.

I was bombarded by New Jersey herbs in evisu and bathing ape head to toe talking some g-unit shit about this and that.

Word to the wise no one rocks this shwag over hyped label anymore.

Im not ragging cause its not a dope line, no doubt they have live pieces every once in a while. People sweat way to hard and look to Pharrel like he's MC Serch and Big Daddy Kane carrying the fashion torch like its 91 all over again!

[darknworn]

i don't get what the hype is about. it's not like they're making decently designed clothing. i see hideousness galore. pseudo american and japanese suburban kids trying to look like hood. the closest thing they can come to being hood is drinking HOOD branded milk. such sadness for the state of youth today, individuality and poise have been lost in the MTV generation.

"God is Dead" - Neitzsche

"Neitzsche is Dead" - God

[jjs home]

^ usually you say some real intelligent stuff, but that makes no sense

Bathing ape has nothing to do with the hood. If you wanna look hood you wear those arme shirts with guns no them that say "welcome to the Hood". Bathing ape is just japanese clothes. The hype comes frmo their rarity, and they sell so well because they've devised a system that maintanis such a low production that its near impossible to get everything in demand.

Personally I give bape a huge ammount of credit. I can't really wear their products, because 80% of them just aren't me, but their design is crazy. They basically headed they whole branded camo movement, which many brands have bitten heavily. The have Nike copying their moves now. And their production is so good they make near all of their materials. Look at the Zipper on a pair of regular pants, then look at smoe BApes. One says YKK and the other says their cmopany name. That a dope ass detail if you ask me. Just because they are the tren de jour doesn't mean I'll criticize their efforts

[darknworn]

like i've said, independent thinking is lost. people buying rarity for rarity's sake. as for the hood aspect of bathing ape, have a look at early 90's rap videos. camo clothing, nike dunks, baggy military style pants...these i see being made my bathing ape and other japanese brands now. the difference is they charge hundreds of dollars, which essentially limits themselves to the middle, upper middle class suburban kids, japanese and american alike, who are trying to look like people on MTV. so what if the details stand out? aesthetically speaking, these clothes are still hideous.

a wise man once said, there's a new sucker born every minute.

"God is Dead" - Neitzsche

"Neitzsche is Dead" - God

[jjs home]

this looks funny in comparison to the people riding the vintage denim wave. We act like Japan didn't spearhead that whole concept either. Yeah I know its All about the "quality" of this denim, But its not as if eevrything you've said about bathing Ape desn't apply to basically every sect of fashion in more then just smoe degrees. The whole premium denim movement is based upon riping off old Levis styles' and techniques, and nistead of selling it to Miners in california its being sold to white colr urbanites. So again I saw whats the difference?

[darknworn]

there's no denying that the japanese make better jeans now than in america. on the denim wave, as you called it, there are distinctly two groups of people. there are those who buy any denim for fashion's sake (buying premium for premium's sake), then there are others who buy good denim as a result of their appreciation for this denim craft. a nice pair of jeans, i.e. apc, is functional, durable, quality constructed, and aesthetically pleasing...not to mention reasonably priced. oh, and you can still wear it 20 years from now.

i wasn't railing against bathing ape in particular...more about this genre of fashion in general.

"God is Dead" - Neitzsche

"Neitzsche is Dead" - God

[jjs home]

understood, but I don't really appreciated either, because if we are gonna call BAPE urban, then bathing Ape is brnig quality to the table in the urban genre. Again I say if you look at the small details Bathing able covers their corners well. Like where is bathing ape falling short is what I'd like to know? Where are they wavernig in quality.

Are they a sublect of hype? Definetly, but at the same time does that not just put most of their buyers in the same realm as lpenty of the premium denum market. Really what we are talking about is the premise of 90% of clothing companies anyways. The quality and the hype attract two different types of cnosumers no mater what. If you wanna bash Bathing Ape for their hype go head, but in the same vein to bash their quality would be like bashing APC. You think APC and brands of that nature, aren't subject to hype as well? Its just the way the game plays, and prevalance of hype in the urban genre or any other does not automatically lower quality.

[sweet orr]

Quote:

like i've said, independent thinking is lost. people buying rarity for rarity's sake. as for the hood aspect of bathing ape, have a look at early 90's rap videos. camo clothing, nike dunks, baggy military style pants...these i see being made my bathing ape and other japanese brands now. the difference is they charge hundreds of dollars, which essentially limits themselves to the middle, upper middle class suburban kids, japanese and american alike, who are trying to look like people on MTV. so what if the details stand out? aesthetically speaking, these clothes are still hideous.

a wise man once said, there's a new sucker born every minute.

--- Original message by darknworn on Jul 18, 2005 01:05 AM

i ll have to agree with you here. just because something is made in small numbers doesnt make it good. i dont understand wht people freak out over bape / nike etc... they are made in small numbers to intentionally make the desireibilty high, but the actual product isnt special, its not like the clothes or sneakers were made in any special way or out of special materiels. it all looks like" kids" wanna be street wear. when the original nike craze was going on, people were collecting vintage nikes, they were expensive becuause they were hard to find and actually rare. people wanted to have something that wasnt being made anymore- now nike is making "rare" sneakers just for the sake of making rare sneakers. the marketing is ingenius,it keeps their brand hot, but the product quality is exactly the same as the mass produced ones. bape is the same, its not like the quality of the clothing is great, its just made in small numbers.

sweet-orr

[mrmax]

Quote:

understood, but I don't really appreciated either, because if we are gonna call BAPE urban, then bathing Ape is brnig quality to the table in the urban genre. Again I say if you look at the small details Bathing able covers their corners well. Like where is bathing ape falling short is what I'd like to know? Where are they wavernig in quality.

Are they a sublect of hype? Definetly, but at the same time does that not just put most of their buyers in the same realm as lpenty of the premium denum market. Really what we are talking about is the premise of 90% of clothing companies anyways. The quality and the hype attract two different types of cnosumers no mater what. If you wanna bash Bathing Ape for their hype go head, but in the same vein to bash their quality would be like bashing APC. You think APC and brands of that nature, aren't subject to hype as well? Its just the way the game plays, and prevalance of hype in the urban genre or any other does not automatically lower quality.

--- Original message by jjs home on Jul 18, 2005 03:16 AM

If you compared quality to price, Bape is not going to come up looking good against APC. Bape is massively on a neck breaking tip now. Their clothes are so colourful and bright, makes you stand out if you wear it - maybe why it has hood/hip hop appeal. Problem is though, the question of taste goes straight out the window...

[neawts]

It's hard to argue that Bape hasn't lost its brand equity. When I see Lil Wayne and Jermaine Dupri switching to an all Bape, all the time wardrobe, that hurts the brand in my eyes. Those guys are corny as hell. But then I look back at the Bape of the past and realize it was always a little corny. Bapepsi, Bape Cuts, Bape Sounds, Nigo wearing hideous Jacob watches and his new Spongebob medallion. Yeah, there have been some good designs, cool accessories, and nice jackets, but the brand has always had its problems. We all know that if you don't like it you don't have to buy it, but I can criticize it if I think it's wack.

[MyMindSpray]

i think what people tend to forget is that Nigo is a young cat...he has yet to define himself as an individual...he's not old enough to have been part of any defining era, except for the present, and in Japan, the present is a mishmash of popular culture drawing influences from hiphip, indie, etc, etc...cats forget that this kid has changed his image over the years from an indie kid to a hip hop head...over the past few years, you can see that his direction has moved from a japanese fashion house to becoming "THE" japanese corporation...age has alot to do with it...again, he has yet to define who he really is...compare his image to Hiroshi's (his mentor) and see how over the top Nigo has gone...his own self image/branding has led way to what you currently see in his recent lines...in his early interviews, he stressed the importance of making his clothing exclusive...making it hard to fine...being part of a secret club...that was where his head was at...now, he's rocking gold chains and looking to take over the game...i have alot of respect for BAPE, he's managed to do really big things...let's face it...homeboy is paid...and in the end, given his age, his surroundings, etc, i'm not at all surprized with the direction BAPE has taken...respect where respect is due...that being said, the only items that continue to move ME are the Gore-tex jackets...still need one!!

[Flavorphoto]

Quote:

During my last trip to Nueva York, I was dreading my Bape retail run-in. My boy back home was fiending a Kaws Hoodie, so I made the trip.

I was bombarded by New Jersey herbs in evisu and bathing ape head to toe talking some g-unit shit about this and that.

Word to the wise no one rocks this shwag over hyped label anymore.

Im not ragging cause its not a dope line, no doubt they have live pieces every once in a while. People sweat way to hard and look to Pharrel like he's MC Serch and Big Daddy Kane carrying the fashion torch like its 91 all over again!

--- Original message by STOLEN FROM POLAND on Jul 17, 2005 06:36 PM

I also think that BAPE is pretty wack, and shopping in the NYC store is a nightmare.

But, I'm a happy man whenever MC Serch is brought up. Gas face for BAPE kid!

Flav

http://www.flavorphoto.com

http://www.flavorphoto.com/blog

Edited by Flavorphoto on Jul 18, 2005 at 09:13 AM

[Selegna]

BAPE HAS BEEN BAD SINCE DAY 1...

THATS WHAT MAKES IT OHH SO GOOD...

ABA FOR LIFE..

7 DIGIT CAKE.. OHH WE'RE EATING JUST FINE..

VVRROOOOOMMMM!

HOPE YOU GET IT LATER...

[M.O.A]

at this point, you either love bape or haqte it....everyday i hope that bape dies out and the novelty will soon wear thin for all these hype beasts...it was a great brand that has been over saturated, especielly for our nice little sub culture.... Nigo and bape still make some amazing stuff...kaws X bapes are amazing...bape chucks...full zip hoodies...come on....that stuff is so rad..although the prices are out of control...what isnt these days...look how much we pay for jeans and sneaks...its rediculous...anyways, get back to your life...let these lames rock bape and think they got all that exclusive info....caue the brand will last tis hype...this bandwaggon....and it will live on....you just gotta wait.

[M4TM]

all i know is... this freakin cracks me up:

No Shirt. No Shoes. No Dice.

Learn it. Know it. Live it.