A Bathing Ape has undergone the successful completion of investment from private equity firm CVC and is now looking at global retail expansion.
As per Business of Fashion, BAPE freshly became an independent company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but will now be co-controlled by CVC. The move is quite special as Bape was until recently owned by I.T. Limited. The precise size of CVC's investment in the Japanese streetwear imprint is unclear.
With plans to bolster the brand’s geographical and online expansion, CVC will look to grow BAPE’s presence in Europe, the US and China. This means that BAPE, and all of its sister brands — AAPE, Baby Milo, BAPE Black, and Mr. Bathing Ape, to name a few — will likely soon get more retail spaces around the world. How this impacts the current lucrative resale market remains to be seen.
“BAPE is an iconic brand with a loyal fan base that has defined the fashion industry with its premium streetwear designs. We are looking forward to bringing this exciting brand to more markets and new customers around the world,” said Yann Jiang, director at CVC.
