A brand that pioneered Ura-Harajuku.
1993 | TOKYO, JAPAN | NIGO®

NIGO®, who had worked as a stylist and writer for famous magazines such as POPEYE and Takarajimasha, opened the select shop "NOWHERE" in 1990 with Jun Takahashi (JONIO), who was also a graduate of Bunka Fashion College, and that marked the beginning of Ura-Harajuku.

Then, in 1993, NIGO® launched his own brand, A BATHING APE®, and began selling it at NOWHERE. In addition to A BATHING APE®, NOWHERE also carried original items from Jun Takahashi's UNDERCOVER and Hiroshi Fujiwara's brand, GOODENOUGH. The official name of A BATHING APE® is "A BATHING APE IN LUKEWARM WATER," which means "monkeys bathing in lukewarm water." It is said that the name was decided by SKATE THING (current CE designer), who has been involved with the brand from the beginning, and was inspired by NIGO®'s favorite movie, "PLANET OF THE APES."

Incidentally, at the time, there were hardly any apparel shops in Ura-Harajuku, and NOWHERE was located in a particularly hard-to-find spot. In an era before social media, the address wasn't even published in magazines in its early days, so when it first opened, it had the atmosphere of a hidden gem, known only by word of mouth. In addition, production was done in small batches, so it became a legendary brand that was talked about among street fashion enthusiasts. Later, after producing tour T-shirts for popular artists such as Cornelius and Schadaraparr, and with various celebrities wearing the brand's T-shirts, it gained the support of many young people and rose to become a representative brand of Ura-Harajuku.

Since then, NIGO® has demonstrated his business acumen in various fields, including launching the indie label "APE SOUNDS®", running the brands "BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB" and "ICECREAM" with musician Pharrell Williams, and opening the curry shop "CURRY UP".

A classic APE item is the 1st Camo snowboard jacket pictured. It gained attention when Takuya Kimura wore it in a 1998 Oronamin C commercial, and it became a rare model that fetched a price of around 600,000 yen at the time. Down jackets and short-length versions with the same pattern also exist. Although it has been reissued many times since, similar patterns have rarely been released in recent years.

Nowhere Co., Ltd., the company that operated A BATHING APE®, was acquired in 2011 by IT, a Hong Kong apparel company, and became a subsidiary of IT. IT also holds the trademark rights.

NIGO® stepped down as creative director of A BATHING APE® in 2013. He has since been working on his own brand, "HUMAN MADE®," while also directing various other brands.