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. In 2002, Nigo released the Bapesta sneaker, which according to BBC presenter Jonathan Ross, later became the "epitome of collectable footwear." The sneaker resembles Nike's Air Force 1 design, but instead of the swoosh on the side, it has Nigo's Bapesta logo, a star with a lightning zap extending out of it. In 2005, Nigo partnered with Pharrell Williams to create and launch the streetwear brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear. In 2014, Nigo became the creative director for Uniqlo's UT brand and his new brand Human Made. In 2020, Nigo partnered with Luxury brandLouis Vuitton alongside of Virgil Abloh to create a capsule collection.
Musical and entertainment background
Nigo has been associated with popular rap and hip hop artists such as Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. He is the DJ of the Japanesehip hop group Teriyaki Boyz and is also owner of BAPE Sounds record label. He also has an MTV Japan show which he created called Nigoldeneye. Together with BiS manager Watanabe Junnosuke, Nigo is the producer and manager for the female pop groupBILLIE IDLE. His involvement with the group began in 2014, when he directed a music video for BiS' song "nerve", 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.
Art collector
Nigo met artist Kaws in 1996 and became an early supporter of his work. In 2005, he commissioned him a painting and Kaws painted the Kaws Album. The painting was sold in 2019 for $14.8 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong among other artworks. The total of the sales of his art collection was $28 million. He also worked with Futura, Stash, Hajime Sorayama and André Saraiva.
Miscellaneous
Nigo speaks little or no English and uses a translator whenever he does interviews.
Nigo has a cameo appearance in the Takashi Murakami short film Akihabara Majokko Princess shown at the "Pop Life" exhibition at Tate Modern in London.
