There is an interesting article written by Karl Taro Greenfeld in the November issue of Portfolio.com about Nigo, founder of A Bathing Ape.  By no means am I a BAPES target consumer but I do appreciate good business when I see it.  The rise of the Japanese footwear/apparel phenom, A Bathing Ape has spelled a great deal for Hip Hop.  It provides undeniable proof that hip hop’s influence AS A CULTURE has permanantly transcended geographic boundry but it also proves that the business of hip hop is no longer controlled by hungry aspiring black kids from the ghettos of the US or even the American corporations that exploit them.  Our distant neighbors have attained the formula and are beginning to work it to perfection.  Opportunity or Threat?

This article is about the Nigo, and his $300/pair of shoe empire but please pay attention to the international business implications.  Are our international counterparts once again beginning to beat us to the punch?  The world of hip hop is changing and not just in the ways we’ve come to accept.  Good Read.