Leica x BAPE x STASH Introduce The Camera For Streetwear Fanatics
By Mikelle Leow, 30 Aug 2022
Always a classic, Leica has now debuted a limited-edition camera for a younger demographic.
It’s a triple threat for photographers and collectors alike—the all-new Leica D-Lux 7 A BATHING APE (BAPE) x STASH marries the vintage appeal of Leica cameras with the raved street style of BAPE and iconic graffiti of STASH.
If you’ve been acquainted with streetwear in any form during the last several years, you would be remiss not to have heard of BAPE, the Japanese cult street label fronted by an ape head and camo prints. Going even way back, there’s the New York street artist STASH (real name Josh Frankin), who entered the graffiti scene in the 1980s alongside names like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.
The compact camera is a well-dressed version of the original Leica D-Lux 7, which sports a large 17-megapixel sensor, fast lens, 24–75 mm equivalent zoom range, and can shoot 4K videos at 30 fps and full HD videos at 60 fps.
According to Leica, the model’s “discreet appearance and the optical stabilization of the lens make it especially suited for street and reportage photography.”
Admittedly, all those features might not yet make sense to the camera’s target audience, who would likely first fall in love with its all-over BAPE camo print, the ape head logo at the top, and overlapping wildstyle graffiti by STASH. They’ll be taking pictures of the gadget before getting stuck into the technicalities.
Although, they might appreciate the compatible Leica FOTOS App that enables them to connect Instagram-worthy photos or videos to other digital platforms in a jiffy.
The kit arrives with matching co-branded accessories, too.
Predictably, there’s a premium that comes with style. While the classic D-Lux 7 will set you back US$1,395, the streetwear-donning version is priced at US$2,190. There are only 1,000 available in the world, with 750 of them in black and 250 in silver.
[via Popular Photography and Barron’s, images via Leica]