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Japanese brand, A Bathing Ape a.k.a. BAPE launched one of its best-selling sneakers, Bape Sk8 Sta in two colorways on May 4, 2024. The sneakers were launched in the black red and light grey colorways.
The brand was restrained from launching the new lineup due to a lawsuit filed against them by Nike. The Japanese brand was accused of copying Nike's three best-selling sneakers, Air Jordan, Nike Dunk, and Air Force 1. Nike filed the suit in January 2023 and it was settled in April 2024, in New York.
As a part of the settlement, BAPE has agreed to discontinue three of its sneaker models - BAPE Sta Mid, Court Sta, and Court Sta High. Additionally, according to Complex, the Japanese brand will also have to modify the designs of Sk8 Sta and Bape Sta.
The brand was founded in 1993 by the fashion editor and stylist of Popeye Magazine, Tomoaki Nagao (Nigo) along with his friends Hiroshi Fujiwara and Shinichiro Nakamura. The idea behind BAPE's name reportedly came from the 1968 film Planet of Apes and was blended with a Japanese proverb, "a bathing ape in lukewarm water."
The brand is known for its streetwear staples like sweat shorts, hoodies, crew neck sweaters, etc. In 2002, the brand extended its product lines with Bapesta sneakers, portraying an amalgamation of sports and pop culture fashion.
Following the settlement of the Nike lawsuit, BAPE launched its new Sk8 Sta lineup on May 4, 2024. The price tag for the shoes, available in two colors, is $309.
After the lawsuit settlement, the brand tweaked its BAPE Sk8 Sta model
In January 2023, sportswear giant Nike sued the Japanese brand BAPE for allegedly copying some of Nike's best-selling shoe models. When BAPE entered the sneaker market in 2002, things, reportedly, weren't too good for the brand. However, the brand then moved to the US and started a business, which, according to Complex was a status symbol in the hip-hop industry.
According to the allegations that Nike made, Reuters reported that until 2021 BAPE's shoe sales were "sporadic." However, it added that in 2021, the Japanese brand's sales in the US went up quite a lot, leading to an increase in the "scope of its infringement."
BAPE, founded by designer Tomoaki Nagao, is owned by Hong Kong-based I.T. Ltd. According to the lawsuit, BAPE began selling products in the United States in the mid-2000s. Nike said BAPE's U.S. sales of the shoes were "sporadic" until 2021 when it "drastically increased the volume and scope of its infringement," Reuters' report read.
However, according to reports from April 2024, Nike and BAPE came to a settlement with the latter agreeing to discontinue some of its sneaker lines. These will include the Bape Sta Mid, Court Sta, and Court Sta High iterations. The suit also instructed the brand to redesign the BAPE Sk8 Sta and BAPE Sta models before continuing the line.
Soon after the settlement, the Japanese brand launched two different colorways of the BAPE Sk8 Sta model - light grey and black red.
The light grey BAPE Sk8 Sta has a silver shade on the light grey upper and creates a glossy appearance. The white sole unit complements the overall grey appearance. The BAPE branding can be seen at the midfoot while the heel tab etches the BAPE Sta word mark. The perforation at the toe case ensures better breathability while the herringbone outsole looks after the traction.
The other colorway, black-red, showcases a distinctive design on the BAPE Sk8 Sta model. It incorporates black as the dominant hue, complemented by a vibrant red outsole. The touches of red can also be seen at the collar, creating classic aesthetics.
This low-top model of BAPE Sk8 Sta is constructed with 45% polyurethane leatherette and the rest of the part is finished with cow leather. The sneaker is retailing at the BAPE store for $309.
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