Creativity is King

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone on the intertubes say something to the effect of “BAPE is dead” or “BAPE fell off” or “BAPE is done”, I’d probably have enough money to buy one of their shirts. People love to hate on BAPE nowadays, and it’s due, in part, to this guy:

But also, in TRUE hypebeast fashion, due to the fact that its availability has become so widespread (relatively). Where once it was a brand that was only available in Japan, and only the coolest of the cool could not only afford it, but LOCATE it, there are now stores in LA and NYC, there’s plenty of sites online where it can be purchased, and it’s bootlegged to the nth degree.

So, as is always the case with anything that became famous due to the internet, be it a clothing line or a music artist or whatever else…as soon as everyone knows about it…it’s no longer cool.

The problem is this: BAPE still is cool, and still puts out pretty solid stuff. Going through the pictures below, I found that the vast majority of what those guys are wearing is stuff I would wear. (Let’s not revisit the Ethosens fiasco.) The hallmarks of their line has always been t-shirts and sweatshirts in interesting designs, and that’s basically all of what my non-work apparel consists of. Some of the shit isn’t for me, but I’m willing to give it a pass.

Here’s an important thing to remember: if 2 of the most fashionable, most famous, most talked about hip-hop artists in the entire world wear your shit regularly and are featured in your catalog…chances are you still are doing okay in terms of what you’re putting out.

I’m not gonna hate on BAPE; I like BAPE quite a bit. They put out things I would wear, and the fact that it is more available now makes it significantly cooler to me. That elitist shit is fucking lamer than lame.

So, with all that said…pictures courtesy of Hypebeast. Holla!