The ape they’ve waited for
Fans of A Bathing Ape -- the cult Japanese streetwear brand with a rabid following and a single U.S. outpost, in Manhattan -- have been burning up the blogosphere for years, speculating on where and when the first L.A. boutique would appear.
Well, here’s the answer: Construction on a boutique at 8001 Melrose Ave. is in its final phase, and the first West Coast Bathing Ape is expected to open mid-April. “We’re planning a big grand opening bash,” spokeswoman Amanda Silverman said. “Nigo [the line’s designer] will be in town, and we’re hoping Pharrell [Williams] and Kanye [West] will both be there.”
Concentrated in Japan with additional shops in London, Hong Kong and Taipei, the BAPE stores usually share a spare, minimalist aesthetic that’s a counterpoint to the busy graphics of the merchandise, and an early glance inside the single-floor, 3,000-square foot shop reveals that’s likely here as well.
Launched in 1993 by Japanese designer Tomoaki Nagao (who goes by the moniker “Nigo”), the quirky, premium collection of T-shirts, hoodies, footwear and accessories is coveted for the distinctive camouflage designs, “Planet of the Apes”-inspired iconography and extremely limited product runs and distribution. Prices run from $70 for T-shirts to $180 for sneakers to $300 for hoodies. (Sneaker heads have been known to camp out for hours to score a pair of the label’s kicks.)
When the 800-pound gorilla swings open this spring, it will cement the stretch of Melrose west of Fairfax Avenue as a premium streetwear mecca, with Adidas Originals next door at 8009, Kidrobot across the street, Crooks & Castles a few doors west and the Hundreds around the corner.
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