A Bathing Ape to Open Store in Paris

Mimosa Spencer

Updated Thu, November 23, 2017 at 1:39 PM UTC

SPACE FOR AN APE: A Bathing Ape, the Japanese streetwear label, is opening a store in central Paris on Dec. 1.

The first French standalone store for the brand, which was founded in 1993 by Tomoaki Nagao, known as Nigo, will be on the Rue de la Verrerie, a street that runs parallel to the Rue de Rivoli not far from the capital’s City Hall.

Stretching across 1,500 square feet, the space will bring a futuristic touch — via stainless steel walls and grey marble floors — to a Haussmann-style building facing Paris department store BHV Marais. A Bathing Ape’s owner, I.T, has teamed up with BHV parent company Galeries Lafayette Group for the store.

Artworks by Adam Lister, known for depicting popular paintings with magnified pixels, will decorate the back wall, while mirror and light box ceilings will add dimension to the ceilings.

The Bape store will sell limited-edition items including Eiffel Tower and tricolor motifs in blue, white and red, alongside the brand’s signature ape head and shark designs. Rubber bracelets and tote bag gifts will be handed out to some shoppers at the grand opening.

The brand plans to open other Bape store spaces in “familiar corners of Los Angeles” and elsewhere around the world, it said in a statement. It launched several e-commerce sites last year.

With a lifestyle approach that extends beyond clothing and accessories, the label has also dipped into furniture, toys and cosmetics, as well as art exhibits and coffee shops.

In its two dozen years of existence, the brand has collaborated with a range of brands, including Coca-Cola, Casio, Carhartt, Durex, Supreme and Fendi.

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A Bathing Ape to Open Store in Paris

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