Who owns Bape in 2026, and it has not been Nigo since 2011

A label without its founder is a different label, and I grant that. But what you pay Bape for is the work of his years: the Ape Head, the camo and the Shark hoodie. Nowhere Co., the Harajuku company that started the label, still makes them (the copyright line on Bape's site reads © 2026 NOWHERE Co., Ltd.).

Ownership will not change how a tee fits, but it tells you who is behind the price. The owners, dates and prices below come from the companies' own pages and press reports.

Quick facts

• Owners: CVC Capital Partners, with 50% by Mergermarket's report of 16 October 2023, sharing control with Sham Kar Wai
• The sale: I.T bought 90.27% in February 2011 for about US$2.8 million
• Founded: by Nowhere Co. in Harajuku, Tokyo, on 1 April 1993
• Nigo now: Human Made, the company he founded, listed in Tokyo in November 2025
• On within: 56 Bape pieces at 2 boutiques, median CAD 108, read 20 October 2026

Two owners hold Bape now, and Nigo is not one of them

CVC's own portfolio page lists A Bathing Ape among its consumer and retail holdings in Asia. Hypebeast reported CVC's investment on 3 June 2021: after I.T's "official delisting" from the Hong Kong exchange, Bape became an independent company that CVC would control jointly.

Mergermarket gave the figure in October 2023: CVC "obtained a 50% stake in BAPE" when it joined Sham's USD 460m deal to take I.T private in 2021. The report names Sham as the other owner of Bape and gives him no percentage, so neither will I.

I.T's about page says the group began in 1988 with a small, 200 square foot shop in Hong Kong. Its board page says Sham Kar Wai founded it that November with his brother, Sham Kin Wai, and is its chairman and chief executive.

How Bape left Nigo's hands in 2011

Bape's own profile says Nowhere Co. was established in Harajuku, Tokyo, on 1 April 1993 and started A Bathing Ape. Hypebeast reported on 1 February 2011 that I.T, then listed in Hong Kong, had bought a 90.27% stake. It came to 668 shares for HK$21,850,000, about US$2.8 million.

Nigo stayed on as creative director for two years, so the exit was slow. On 10 June 2013, WWD ran the headline "Nigo Talks Life After A Bathing Ape". WWD's report of June 2026 calls Bape the label "with which Nigo is no longer associated".

In 2011 the stake changed hands for about US$2.8 million. In 2023 Mergermarket reported that CVC wanted to market Bape at a USD 2 billion enterprise value. Both numbers are about the same Ape Head.

Nigo's company now is Human Made, not Bape

Human Made, the company Nigo founded, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in November 2025, and WWD called it the first streetwear brand to go public there. On 15 June 2026 WWD reported that Human Made's board had approved a nonbinding letter of intent to buy Undercover, Jun Takahashi's label. The transfer of ownership was targeted for February 2027, and the terms were not disclosed.

To follow Nigo now, follow Human Made, and the Undercover and Jun Takahashi note covers the label it wants to buy. The Ape Head stayed with Bape.

What the owners have done since 2021

Mergermarket reported in October 2023 that CVC was exploring "a conventional IPO or a potential trade sale" and wanted to keep a minority stake. It added that "no final decision has been made".

Bloomberg's headline of 19 June 2025 read "CVC Capital Seeks $400 Million Loan for BAPE Dividend Payout". An IFR Asia headline in February 2026 had five joining a loan for Bape, naming CVC as its backer. None of the reports announces a sale.

Meanwhile, Bape keeps selling: CVC's own page counts about 150 points of sale across 23 countries.

The owners changed in 2011 and again in 2021. The Ape Head did not.

What the icons cost now

Bape's copy dates the Shark hoodie to its "debut in 2004", and describes a 1ST CAMO full zip as made "using brushed lining". On Bape's US store, 41 men's Shark full zips ran USD 429 to 679, median USD 509. Wear one open over a white tee, because one loud piece is enough.

The Ape Head tee is first on Bape's list of icons, and its copy calls one simply a "COTTON APE HEAD T-SHIRT". Bape's 40 men's Ape Head tees sit at a median of USD 129, from USD 109 to 189. At two independent boutiques, Bape shirts start at CAD 84 and stop at CAD 200, with the median at CAD 108 across 34 pieces.

Baby Milo closes Bape's list of icons, and it is the character on the seven Stray Kids tees, USD 155 each since 16 October 2026. Across 117 Baby Milo products, it turns up on a USD 35 piece and a USD 1,785 one.

Bape's own store list names Vancouver and no store in Toronto. Two independent boutiques carry the label: Outlined, at 25 The West Mall, and Utopia, at 132 Cumberland Street.

Utopia's refund page says all sales are final and that everything it sells is 100 percent authentic. Its shipping page says international customers can expect their purchase in 7 to 10 business days.

Check the fit against Bape sizing and the tags against how to spot fake Bape before you buy. The same ownership question is worth asking of any logo you pay for, starting with who owns Chrome Hearts and who owns Amiri.

Common questions

Why is BAPE not popular anymore?

The premise is shaky: Bape changed owners in 2011 and 2021 and its founder is gone, yet CVC's own page counts about 150 points of sale in 23 countries. It also released seven new Baby Milo tees this month. If the price is what put you off, why Bape costs what it does takes that apart.

Do people still wear BAPE in 2026?

Yes: Bape released seven Stray Kids tees on 16 October 2026, and the Shark hoodie it introduced in 2004 is still on its US store. Bape's copy says the Shark has been "embraced by musicians, artists, celebrities, and fans worldwide", which is Bape on Bape.

Can you buy BAPE in Canada?

You can: Bape's own store list includes a store in Vancouver. Two independent boutiques also have 56 Bape pieces between them, delivered to Canada, the US, the UK and Europe, and where to buy Bape lists every one.

Every business above is independent, was verified open as of August 2026, and nobody paid to be here. If one has closed or moved, tell us at hello@shopwithin.co and we will fix it.

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