Tuesday 5 January 2010

Loot even the pirates wouldn't steal





Bape's pirate store - a chance to grab some some cheap / one off gear or a way of getting rid of shit they cant sell? We know which way they market it, obviously, but after taking a look recently i beg to differ. To be honest it reminds me of an English store called TK Maxx. Basically, rather shitty gear that nobody could sell bunched together in the hope of making some space in the warehouse. With its rapid expansion over the last decade Bape obviously have a shit load of stock nowadays. Opening these pirate stores further commercialises the brand too & takes away more of the allure of which drawn you to it in the first place.

Its difficult to see what direction Bape will take in this new decade as they are now, weather the loyalists like to admit it or not, a fully fledged family brand. Shit, i even know a couple of housewives who follow the releases! However you feel about them though theres no denying their influence on street / fashion culture as we move into the tenties (that the correct wordage??). In the early years Bape offered something new, young & undoubtably cool. Take Biggie rocking the green camo jacket in the 90's. Wonderwall too helped shape the brands identity with the highly innovative store interiors Bape has become so known for.

The all over camo print, full zip hoodies, bland milo designs & those hideous AF1's knock offs seemed to catch on like wildfire. Looking back though, kind of laughable isn't it? Don't get me wrong i'm not hating on the brand, i was as interested as the next guy, i'm sure anyone who takes an interest in emerging trends was. For me it's the under the radar pieces that still keep Bape relevant today, amongst the stiffest competition than its ever faced before. Like i said, i do however HATE their footwear with a passion. How on earth a brand can blatantly copy some of the most recognisable styles in modern footwear & get away with it is beyond me. But thinking about it, maybe thats just a measure of how influential they've became over the past decade. Collaborating with Adidas on the superstar model was proof of that.

Of course, the fakes haven't helped the brands credibility over the years but hey, thats a problem being successful brings. For better or worse, its certain that Bape will remain just as relevant in the next decade as it has in the previous two.