Protocol Snow

Japanese fashion label A Bathing Ape released a new collection in March called Mr. Bathing Ape. Collaborating with classy retailer United Arrows, Mr. Bathing Ape moves off the street into the gentlemanly domain of suits, shirts, ties, and dress shoes. I’ve wanted to buy a couple of these dreamy ties ever since I first saw them. The collection was released in only one store worldwide (Mr. Bathing Ape x United Arrows store in Shibuya, Tokyo). Luckily, I have some friends in Tokyo and asked a few to see if they could help with pick-ups.

Photo by Brandon Shigeta

I felt Mr. Bathing Ape wouldn’t be a hot seller since fancy dress-up seemed an odd direction for a streetwear brand. So I didn’t push my friends too hard to buy the ties for me immediately, thinking there would be no rush. What a mistake that was! The ties I wanted had long been sold-out. Worse, my favorite Bape reseller channels never carried the ties. Either the ties were ridiculously extremely limited, or all the buyers wanted to keep them.

This is a lesson I haven’t truly learned yet when it comes to Bape items — if something comes out that you want, buy it now! I’ve already been burned multiple times. They’re not kidding around when it comes to the limited production of their clothing, and getting something you want when it’s released is much easier than hunting in the reseller channels later.

The 2nd collection for Mr. Bathing Ape dropped a couple weeks ago, and while the ties paled in comparison to those in the 1st collection, I liked the blue jacquard camo enough to place an order.

A Bathing Ape is infamous for its high-pricetag merchandise (though that’s true for any luxury brand, I suppose). While Bape hoodies and T-shirts are indeed made with quality material and stitching, fans are clearly paying a hefty premium for the name.

That’s why I was surprised with the pricing strategy for the Mr. Bathing Ape collections. They are actually legitimately reasonable in comparison with the brand’s history! Before prices were officially revealed, I can guarantee you Bape fans were cringing in dread.  A new upscale Bape line? Prices would be stratospheric!

These ties are ￥13,650 at retail. Not cheap for sure, but given the quality of these gorgeous pieces, they are much more worthwhile relative to designer T-shirts.

Like the Bape multi-camo tie I own, this blue jacquard camo tie is 100% silk and a beauty.

I couldn’t wait to give the tie a test-run with my medical school uniform. Luckily I happen to like wearing shirts and ties so doctoring is a suitable career for me. I doubt more than a handful of patients in my lifetime will recognize a Bape tie, but all that matters is the happiness it brings me!

Both the name and the logo are awesome.

The ties from Mr. Bathing Ape 1st collection. Nobody, not even the most fervent of resellers, is selling these. The blue and red camo ties have become grail items for me. I will just have to patiently hunt for them…