When you talk about the OG hypebeast brands, A Bathing Ape (BAPE) is definitely one of those brands that you should be aware of. Originating in Japan and founded by Nigo in 1993, the streetwear brand has since grown so much, going beyond collabs and expanding into different markets like home accessories.
Aside from its tees with the iconic Ape head logo, one of BAPE’s iconic products is the Air Force 1-inspired BAPESTA Low. BAPE does release various iterations of the BAPESTA low, and this includes a special edition colorway to commemorate the Tokyo 2021 Olympics (or also known as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics).
Our friends over at HypeGeek decided to go ape and cop a trove of BAPE gear that include not just the Tokyo 2021 BAPESTA Low, but several BAPE goodies like coasters, a Gucci-inspired scarf
Going to the main highlight, which is the BAPESTA Low Tokyo 2021, the premium, Air Force 1-inspired pair has a cool color blocking that represents all five colors of the Olympics logo. The color blocking is different for the left and right pair, making it look unique and guaranteed to turn heads.
Since the BAPESTA has always been on the premium side of things, the upper makes use of plush, tumbled leather that is soft. Being marketed as an “upscale” sneaker, they even come with their own dust bags!
Beyond the dust bags and the premium leather, the gold-colored Ape head dubrae completes the look of this expensive and colorful sneaker. With all those details and features, the BAPESTA Low retails for $300(~Php 15k), making it vastly more expensive than your usual Air Force 1 Low (or even a collab version).
Is it worth the premium? Given that BAPESTAs are more uncommon than Air Force 1s, chancing upon one is going to be worth it–IF you are willing to pay for the hefty price tag and equally expensive shipping fees since there is no official BAPE store here in the Philippines.
