Happy Accidents: Initial Downfall A Windfall for Bape

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Angeleno's June issue features this Scream-esque photo of Bape's creator Nigo; the caption reads "Nigo hides behind a sad panda hoodie at A Bathing Ape's new Melrose store." Regarding limited-edition runs of merch, Nigo explains it was a result of not being able to afford full production runs when he first started. He tells the pub: "The idea is to offer some sort of attraction that makes it more of an experience than just selling shoes and clothes...so people can get something out of the store, even if they don't buy anything." This has also also frustrated shoppers in the past, who complained there wasn't actually anything to buy.
· Sneak Show: Is this MoMA or a shoe store? L.A.'s street-wear shops go ape over high design [Modern Luxury]