The streetwear pioneer and founder of A Bathing Ape was in New York City this week to show his spring collection for Uniqlo, where he serves as creative director of the retailer’s UT Collection. Nigo, whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, first launched A Bathing Ape (known as Bape) 20 years ago and sold it in early 2011 to Hong Kong retailer I.T Ltd. for $2.8 million. He has also worked with Pharrell Williams on Billionaire Boys Club and with Coca-Cola, reinterpreting the soft drink’s logo in a vintage-inspired capsule collection. WWD caught up with him to discuss his projects, including his new line, Human Made, and life after Bape.
WWD: How long have you been with Uniqlo?
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Nigo: This is the second year.
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WWD: How is the partnership working, and what are customers responding to?
Nigo: We’ve found that the Uniqlo customer is very interested in classic, well-known characters — Disney and so on. I’ve tried to use those things in a different way, but that’s definitely the focus. The first collection I did for them was focused on American pop culture and Americana, but this time, I’ve tried to make it a bit more global and spread out. It was a very concentrated effort the first time. This is more diverse.
WWD: What have you learned from your collaboration with Uniqlo?
Nigo: It’s pretty much the first time I’ve had to design for anybody else, and it’s made me appreciate the difficulty of the process of design itself. The target is very different. If I’m designing for myself, then, as long as I satisfy myself, it’s fine. But here at Uniqlo, I have to design something for a much broader customer base.
WWD: Have you brought any of your streetwear background to Uniqlo?
Nigo: That’s my background, but, specifically, in this collection, I collaborated with Brooklyn Machine Works, which is an underground BMX maker. We love BMX, and I’ve known Joe [Avedisian], who started the company, for 20 years. So, that goes back to when I started my brand.
WWD: You sold A Bathing Ape three years ago, but you started another brand, called Human Made. Do you still have that line, and how is it going?
Nigo: Yes, I do. But it’s, really, when I have time to do it, I do it. It’s very much like satisfying myself, and I’m taking it at my own speed. With this role for Uniqlo and my own brand, I’m still making clothes but in a different way.
WWD: What are you seeing in terms of trends in streetwear in New York, Japan and so on?
Nigo: Since the beginning, I’ve not been that conscious of trends, and I’ve always worked on what feels right to me at the time. But I definitely feel Supreme is doing very well. It seems like a strong brand to me.
WWD: Are you still working with Billionaire Boys Club and Pharrell Williams?
Nigo: I’m still great friends with Pharrell, but I’m not working on BBC at the moment.
WWD: What’s next for you?
Nigo: I’m pretty busy right now, and I’ve just got to concentrate on getting all these projects done. I need to keep [focusing] on my creativity.