BAPE Releases 30th-Anniversary Prints With Artists Reimagining Logo & Patterns
By Mikelle Leow, 25 Apr 2023
A Bathing Ape has filled a King Kong-sized hole in the streetwear space for 30 years, and it’s not about to camouflage this fact.
As part of its 30th-birthday celebrations, the Japanese label has released graphical treatments of its iconography by 12 artists around the world as prints. The new pop-art selection, entitled BAPE GALLERY, comprises branding remixes by Adam Lister, Alvaro Ilizarbe, Arkiv Vilmansa, Eric Inkala, Jasper Wong, Lilkool, OSO DE AGUA, Sam Taylor, tokidoki co-founder Simone Legno, and Tomotatsu Gima.
Each piece approaches the iconic BAPE head, camo patterns, and characters in a unique style, be it geometric, in psychedelic colors, or as graffiti.
The print above by tokidoki co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Simone Legno, for example, intertwines BAPE’s camo graphics, along with BABY MILO and other characters, with the eye-popping tokidoki aesthetic for an “east-meets-west” vibe.
The BAPE GALLERY art recently went on a world tour in commemoration of the brand’s anniversary, and the works are now being sold online in limited prints of 300 pieces.
Each print, signed and numbered, is available for purchase on the UK BAPE online store for £220 to £330 (US$274 to US$411) apiece. Preview the artworks in the carousel below.
[via Highsnobiety and Hypebeast, images by various artists for BAPE]