Bape Shoes
The footwear industry was forever changed with the released of the Bape shoes. It was finally official, hip hop and urban trends were a huge market - even in Japan. The Bape shoes were very very unique and trend setting. Though the Bape shoes took inspiration from the Nike Air Force Ones, they were extremely different fundamentally.
The goal of the Bape shoes was never to be an athletic shoe, but rather a limited sneaker that no one else would have ever seen or dreamed of. The shiny patent leather and bright colors seperated the Bape shoes from all other casual shoes. Not only did these features set the Bape shoes apart from the others, but really caught someone's eye when look to buy a new pair of sneakers.
Bape Stas hit the peak of their popularity in the US in 2004. Many stars including Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Cassidy were seen in public and in music videos wearing Bape shoes.
Starting at approximately $200 per pair, the Bape shoes are much more expensive than their Nike Air Force Ones counterpart, but the Bape shoes (most famous Bape Stas) are much more limited than the Air Force Ones. Many of the Bape shoes were made in runs of 200 and less! Compare that the the super limited Air Force One Lux was made in 3,000 pairs and sold for about the same price.
Finding Bape shoes is pretty hard in the US. There are some sneaker boutiques who have a few pairs at any given moment, but the sure bet way to find an authentic pair of Bape shoes is to take a trip to New York's Soho district and get a pair from the Footsoldier store. Bape shoes start at $190 per pair which is alot less than what you would pay if you wanted to grab a pair from Vintage Kicks but they probably won't be an exclusive edition. Also, as a word of wisdom, don't buy any Bape Stas from any online sites unless its Vintage Kicks since there is a flood of fake Bape shoes sold online.
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