Famous Streetwear Brand A Bathing Ape and It's Name

A Bathing Ape (ア・ベイジング・エイプ A Beijingu Eipu) (or BAPE) is a Japanese clothing brand founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993.

Origin of the Name

 "I was spending my evenings with my friend Shin, when one evening we were watching a TV program called 'Yo!! Rap City', I told Shin that I was going to start a clothing line. Shin suggested we start it together.

They Got Their Name from a Movie

We thought more about it and one night we saw a movie called 'Planet of the Apes'. We liked it a lot. So much in fact, the next day we met up and decided to take some inspiration from it: we called our new brand A Bathing Ape®." Nigo, Pig Magazine, 2006

Also, BAPE is said to be inspired by the popular Japanese phrase "a bathing ape in lukewarm water", which refers to the overindulgence of Japanese youth.

Lastly

So, basically, the name is inspired by snobby youth and a movie about anarchist monkeys. Regardless, thanks to that moment in 1993, one of the greatest clothing brands to grace the planet was born.