Interview
On the occasion of the opening of the A Bathing Ape boutique, often shortened to BAPE, FashionUnited met with Adrien Kunz-Aubert, general manager Europe, to learn more about the brand's new development strategy in Europe and, in particular, in France.
A Bathing Ape boutique located in le Marais: does this signal end of BAPE representation by Galeries Lafayette?
We terminated the exclusive distribution contract with Galeries Lafayette and closed the boutique on Rue de la Verrerie, located under BHV Marais, to regain control of the brand. The idea is to focus on London, Milan, Amsterdam and Paris, a city where we have the opportunity to act more quickly. Germany is taking longer because it is a more administratively complex market. We are aiming to open two or three boutiques per year.
We are opening this temporary store, located at 33 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois (Paris 4ᵉ), which is the former Comptoir des Cotonniers boutique. We expect to stay there for between six and 10 months, pending a permanent opening. The address has not been decided, but it will be in the centre of Paris.
What about wholesale distribution?
We have very few wholesale resellers, less than 15 clients currently in Europe. Our own boutiques are the heart of the brand. We started with London four years ago. Developing entities in Europe takes time, especially as we also need to relaunch the website and create TikTok and Instagram accounts specific to Europe, which did not exist.
The brand, which is 32 years old, has always been managed directly from Asia. It belongs to I.T. Nowhere, which is based in Hong Kong. The creative hub is split between Hong Kong and Japan. The European team is still very small. We were two three years ago. Today, there are 10 of us.
What about collaboration with KidSuper, sold in this pop-up shop?
BAPE is known for its collaborations. We wanted to reduce the quantity to return to a quality that is unique to the brand, with collaborations that are relevant to what people expect.
What do people expect from BAPE?
That we stop putting two names together just to associate a product and a collection. The idea is to have a collection in its own right and the KidSuper collection makes sense because he himself shares a history with BAPE. He grew up with it. As a teenager, he sold fake BAPE t-shirts outside the boutique, saying “mine are better” (laughs).
We gave him carte blanche, with, of course, a few iconic products to keep. Ninety percent of the spring/summer 2025 offer, presented in this boutique, is co-signed BAPE and KidSuper. It will remain for six months. To date, we are the only ones in the world to present the complete collaboration, no longer available elsewhere, as it has completely sold out in other countries in less than a week.
After KidSuper, are you considering other collaborations?
We will have a co-branded collection with the Van Gogh museum at the end of May. We have also reviewed our partnership with Adidas to design more relevant products. Within the boutique, we must always offer a quality of products and services specific to the brand, and that our partners do not have.
What kind of customer service do you offer?
Exclusive products such as KidSuper trainers (299 dollars) or t-shirts (around 100 dollars). We have made sure to keep the same price range for these products. We are also developing a customer relationship management (CRM) system to implement a loyalty programme.
What is BAPE's target customer?
People aged between 15 and 35 who appreciate the fact that we highlight camouflage. Originally, camouflage is for hiding. We don't want to hide. We want people to express themselves, take ownership of the brand, mix it as much as possible, show themselves and express themselves with our products. Our slogan is “Fearless Expression”.
BAPE is not a fashion brand, but a lifestyle brand, hence the armchairs, cushions and paintings in the boutique.
What about creative work process?
For the materials, we use 100 percent cotton, but more and more we are aiming for organic cotton. The creative collective is spread between Japan and Hong Kong. Manufacturing is also carried out between Japan and China.
A Bathing Ape has several brands which are: BAPE, womenswear and menswear collection; Baby Milo, embodied by the monkey that became BAPE's mascot, a children's collection; Mr A Bathing Ape, for customers entering the professional world; BAPE Black, a high-end monochrome line made in Japan; BAPE STA, iconic trainers with stars; Apee and Bapy, women's collections not sold in France; and AAPE, not sold in France, BAPE's little brother.
I.T Nowhere is a Hong Kong fashion group, founded in 1988 by Sham Kar Wai, who is also its chairman. The group is known for importing, distributing and sometimes producing avant-garde or premium fashion brands, mainly for the Asian market.
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