Branding Machine Bathing Ape Debuts L.A. Store
Tomoaki “Nigo” Nagao’s branding moxie has inspired legions of hip-hop musicians and American streetwear designers. On April 23 he touched down in Los Angeles to open a flagship store for his Bathing Ape brand at 8001 Melrose Ave.
The guest list for the store debut gala would have made any party planner envious. Musicians Kanye West and Pharrell Williams and tennis star Serena Williams partied with Nagao, who typically goes by “Nigo.” The Bathing Ape store could have the influence to cast the already streetwear-friendly 8000 block of Melrose into a mecca for the category, said Aaron Levant, co-owner of streetwear brand DCMA Collective and the Agenda trade show.
“It’s one of the stronger brands in the industry,” Levant said. “Bathing Ape will make [the 8000 block of] Melrose a streetwear shopping destination.”
The sneakers and the clothes at the Los Angeles store are not much different from the Bathing Ape store that opened in New York in 2004, or the 18 Bathing Ape stores in Japan. Price points include $124 for a polo shirt with a Bathing Ape logo, $275 for a hoodie with a camouflage-style allover print, $73 for a T-shirt and $149 for short-sleeve, collared plaid shirts in the preppy line, dubbed Bathing Ape Classics.
However, the entire look of the Melrose store will be changed frequently, Nigo said. The 2,500-square-foot boutique’s look was designed by Japanese firm Wonderwall. The walls are white, but it also offers attention-grabbing features such as a pair of two-story-tall Bathing Ape jeans. There is a circular conveyor belt displaying Bathing Ape sneakers. The conveyor belt is topped off with a plastic-style dome where customers can try on shoes.
There are no immediate plans to open additional stores in California, according to Nigo, an entrepreneur whose marketing savvy extends beyond fashion. The 37-year-old mogul has produced songs that are hits on the Japanese charts. He has opened restaurants and hair salons, and his fashion brand has appeared on everything from Coke cans to toilet paper. He became notorious for stunts such as having all of his teeth surgically removed and having them replaced with tooth-shaped diamonds crafted by Jacob the Jeweler. At his new Los Angeles digs, he revealed his secret is wrapped up in the enigma of its presentation. “[The fashions] don’t change much,” he said. “It’s the way the brand is shown.”
—Andrew Asch
