You can’t keep the particular primate away. Look’s like A Bathing Ape is coming back

A Bathing Ape is making a return, bath water intact. Spotted on the ground floor of the Mandarin Gallery, directly below SNKR Dunk, is this hoarding with the familiar camouflage pattern of the Japanese streetwear brand, founded in 1993 by Nigo (aka Tomoaki Nagao), who is now the owner of Human Made and the artistic director of Kenzo. A Bathing Ape first opened in the same mall it will soon return to in 2009. Twelve years later, it left our shores with a message that was first shared on Facebook: “We hope to see you all one last time before we say a final goodbye.”

Some farewells are never final. You may not have thought that the brand ever bid adieu (especially Gen-Zers with their short memories). It is not clear when the comeback store will open, but evidently the demand and interest in the brand are still there (or shall we say, still here). In fact, the presence of the great ape has not really dissipated—brother brand Aape has been around since 2023 at 313@Orchard. Although it is not quite the original alpha, Aape has given those still pining for A Bathing Ape a chance to enjoy a sibling until they can ape over the new store, once more.

Watch this space for updates. Photo: Zhao Xiangji