BAPE, also known as A Bathing Ape, is a brand that is well known in the fashion industry. Since its founding by acclaimed designer Nigo in Tokyo in the early 90s, the brand's iconic camouflage pattern has been worn by celebrities such as Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Another design from BAPE that has received a lot of attention, both positive and negative, is their BAPE STA sneaker collection.
Clearly taking inspiration from Nike's '1' silhouette, the BAPE STAS sneakers have been regularly released since 2000 and have become as associated with the brand as the camouflage pattern. Nike has a history of being aggressive in protecting its designs and many other sneaker brands have had lawsuits filed against them. Despite this, BAPE has avoided the courtroom for more than 20 years.
Recently, Complex revealed that Nike has sued BAPE over the sale of BAPE STAS and is seeking damages from the brand. Nike claims to have had a discussion with BAPE about the similarities between their shoes in 2009, which led to the brand withdrawing the majority of its sales in the US and changing parts of the design. According to the lawsuit, BAPE decided to return to the original design in 2021, prompting Nike to sue them.
BAPE or Nigo have yet to comment on the allegations. You can see a portion of the lawsuit that shows the similarities that Nike believes are sufficient to count as plagiarism below.
