The French Capital: A Bathing Ape To Open Store In Paris On December 1

FRANCE — Japanese streetwear brand A Baping Ape is partnering with Galeries Lafayette Group for its first store in the French capital.

The new central Paris-based store will open December 1 on the Rue de la Verrerie, a street that runs parallel to the Rue de Rivoli.

The brand was founded in 1993 by Tomoaki Nagao, known as Nigo.

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.

Photos Credit: Courtesy of Bape