Nigo (ニゴー, Nigō^?, born Tomoaki Nagao (長尾 智明) on December 23, 1970^[1]) is a Japanese music producer, DJ and the creator of the urban clothing line A Bathing Ape, otherwise known as Bape.

Fashion background [link]

Nigo's venture into fashion started in a small store selling a few Bape t-shirts and camouflage print hoodies, which became very popular among the teen demographic. Nigo then released the Bapesta, a sneaker which, according to Jonathan Ross, became the "epitome of collectable footwear."^[2] The Bapesta logo on the side of the shoe resembles the Nike swoosh but has a lightning zap and a star instead. The clothing line is considered by many Americans to be difficult to acquire, considering the fact that the only store in the United States is in New York. (Los Angeles store closed in the summer of 2010.) Along with Pharrell Williams, Nigo is also responsible for helping produce the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear brands.

Musical and entertainment background [link]

Nigo has currently been associated with popular rap and hip hop artists such as Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. He is the DJ of the popular Japanese hip hop group Teriyaki Boyz and is also owner of BAPE sounds record label. He currently has a show he created himself for MTV Japan called Nigoldeneye.^[3]

Miscellaneous [link]

• Nigo speaks little or no English, and uses a translator, whenever he does interviews.
• Nigo won the 2005 Style Award as part of the MTV Asia Awards.
• Nigo has a cameo appearance in the Takashi Murakami short film "Akihabara Majokko Princess" shown at the "Pop Life" exhibition at TATE Modern Gallery in London.

See also [link]

• A Bathing Ape
• Billionaire Boys Club (clothing)
• Pharrell Williams
• Star Trak Entertainment
• Teriyaki Boyz
• N*E*R*D

References [link]

Bape's United States of America Official Website

External links [link]

• Photoshoot of the interior of Nigo's house from Brutus Casa