Nigo
| Nigo | |
|---|---|
 Nigo, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Nigo |
| Born | December 23, 1970 |
| Origin | Maebashi, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion designer, DJ, record producer, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Bape |
| Associated acts | Teriyaki Boyz, Pharrell, Kanye West |
| Website | |
Nigo (ニゴー Nigō, born on December 23, 1970[1]) is a Japanese fashion designer, DJ, record producer and entrepreneur . He is best known as the creator of the urban clothing line A Bathing Ape, otherwise known as Bape.
Fashion background
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 teenagers. 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. He is now the creative director for Uniqlo's UT brand.
Musical and entertainment background
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]
Together with BiS manager Watanabe Junnosuke, Nigo is the producer and manager for the female pop group BILLIE IDLE.[4] His involvement with the group began in 2014, when he directed a music video for BiS' song "nerve",[5] and after the group disbanded, Nigo and Watanabe offered BiS members First Summer Uika and Hirano Nozomi the chance to join their new project, BILLIE IDLE. The group debuted in 2014 with the album "IDLE GOSSIP", for which Nigo is the executive producer.[6]
Miscellaneous
- 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
- A Bathing Ape
- Billionaire Boys Club (clothing)
- Pharrell Williams
- Star Trak Entertainment
- Teriyaki Boyz
- N*E*R*D
- Stormzy
References
- ↑ http://www.buybapehoodies.com/Nigo.html
- ↑ http://www.nigobape.com/video/interview-jonathan-ross.html
- ↑ http://hypebeast.com/tags/nigoldeneye/
- ↑ "BILLIE IDLE®". BILLIE IDLE® (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-07-23.
- ↑ VICE Japan (2014-06-04), BiS / nerve directed by NIGO®（2.5D × VICE）, retrieved 2016-07-23
- ↑ IDLE GOSSIP, SPACE SHOWER MUSIC, retrieved 2016-07-23
Bape's United States of America Official Website
External links
- Photoshoot of the interior of Nigo's house from Brutus Casa