FASHION AND THE CONSUMER

MAJOR PROJECT
A BATHING APE

Done by:
Kevin Chan
Lee Hung Bin
Michelle
Eileen Ng
Edwin Lim
Irina Sandakova

CONTENTS
1. Introduction

2. PEST Analysis

3. Singapore Fashion Market

4. Company Background

5. Brand Background

6. Two Retail Competitors in Singapore

7. Consumer Profile in Singapore

8. Drivers of Consumer Behavior

12

9. Marketing Strategy in Singapore

15

10. Critique
11. Conclusion

17
18

REFERENCE

19

APPENDIX

20

1. Introduction
2. Purpose
3. The purpose of the report is to develop a detailed Singapore consumer profile for BAPE
and using the findings to evaluate its marketing strategy.
4. Scope
5. Coverage of the report include analyzing PEST of Singapore, Singapore fashion market,
background, consumer profile, competitors and evaluation of BAPE.
6. Limitations
7. The information from the report are from background knowledge, consumer survey, store
visits and information from websites (refer to References).
8.
9. PEST Analysis
10. Political and Legal
11. Singapore is widely acknowledged for having a stable and reliable government and
maintaining a well-organized governing system. This is proven by many well recognized
independent international organizations like World Economic Forum and Transparency
International. Singapore topped the ranking of least corrupted country out of more than
200 countries in the recent Corruption Perception Index 2010 by Transparency
International. Singapore also came in third best for intellectual property protection and
enforcement in the Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 by World Economic
Forum.
12. Singapore is a small country that highly values enterprises and foreign investments. The
government set up many organizations to aid businesses in their operation in Singapore.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MTI), is tasked to promote economy
growth, creating jobs and fostering pro-enterprise environment. SPRING (Standards,
Productivity and Innovative Board) Singapore helps businesses in capabilities and
1

management development, technology and innovation and access to markets. It provides

training courses on business leadership and capability development to improve business
management skills.
13. Economic and Demographics
14. Singapore has one of the fastest growing economy in the world. The countrys per capita
income is highest in the ASEAN region. The contributing factors are business supported
by corruption-free government, well established financial and legal framework and
highly education and skilled workforce. Singapore is constantly investing in diversifying
the economy, promoting growth in the education, retail and medical sectors.
Pharmaceutical and tourism industries have seen growth in the recent years.
15. With a population of approximately 5 million, Singapore has a lowest unemployment rate
in the world. In the year 2009, the unemployment rate was as low as 2.2%. This is due to
the success of the countrys education policy in producing and developing a skilled
workforce.
16. Singapore is a multi-racial country and has an ethnic mix of Chinese, malays, indians and
minority ethnic groups like eurasians. In recent years, there has been a rise of foreign
workers as most singaporeans do not prefer working blue-collar jobs such as construction
due to the dirty and tough nature of the industry. With cheaper labour cost from hiring
foreign workers, the business industry is more cost-effective and could have plans for
more investments.
17. Social and Cultural
18. Due to the increasing demand and pace of Singapores society, Singaporean are evolving
into the nature of not wanting to lose out in terms of all aspects including materialism.
Also, citizens are getting much more competitive. Hence, this cultural values has
increased the countrys productivity to work harder, earn more and spend more resulting
in higher purchasing power from consumers.
19. Singapore government has made it compulsory for all citizens to attend primary
education. The government also set up many tertiary institutes for Singaporeans to have
2

opportunities to develop skills and gain industrial experience. The primary language used
in Singapore education system is English. This has given Singapore an advantage in
attracting foreign investments and trade. The government is constantly promoting the
importance of being proficient in Chinese language for the Chinese to tap into China, the
largest emerging market in the world. As jobs demand are leaning towards higher
professional levels, singaporeans see the need to dress better in order to present
themselves well and has been spending more time and money on appearance wise.
20. Also, nowadays many Singaporean have the mindset of Kia-su which means afraid of
lose out to others. Many Singaporean works very hard to retain or fulfill their materialism
desire. In some extent this has positively increased the nation productivities and the
business sectors can expect a higher purchasing power from the consumers. On the other
hand, some family and social values have to be sidelined.
21. Technology
22. Singapore advanced and extensive IT and info-communication infrastructure is one of the
key factor in attracting foreign investments and local entrepreneurship. According to the
2009 Infocomm Usage by Household and Individuals Survey (IDA Singapore), the
percentage home broadband Internet access reached 80%. Which means every five
household in Singapore, four have access to the World Wide Web. This statistic is bound
to improve every year given that the market for Internet service in Singapore is very
competitive and Internet service providers are appealing people with the most attractive
home broadband packages. With the rapid advancement of technology, Singapore home
broadband users can enjoy Internet download speed up to a hundred times faster after
their homes are equipped with optical fiber cables. Wireless@SG is a program developed
by Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore. The program aims to allow
people in Singapore to enjoy free wireless broadband Internet access while on the go.
This service is available in major shopping calls, restaurants like McDonalds, airport and
community centers.
23.
24. Singapore Fashion Market
3

25. Characteristics
26. A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese clothing company that specializes in Mens,
Womens and Kids street wear and lifestyle merchandises. They cater to a mid-high
niche market of fashion savvy and most often, affluent consumers who are not into the
mainstream fashion scene. Followers of BAPE or any of its competing labels in the same
market are consumers who wish to alienate themselves from the majority of the
conformist society whilst aiming to achieve a warped sense of identification.
27. Growth
28. Consumers today are more knowledgeable and fashion conscious then ever before. With
a widespread phenomenon to look good, youths and young adults especially are paying
more attention to the fashion scene and also more willing to spend money on fashion
purchases.
29. Through the introduction of the Internet, consumers in Singapore are able to gain access
to information that was not readily available before. Consumers now do not need to just
settle on shops available at the local malls but are able to purchase products from retailers
that are not available here over the Internet. Therefore, a more adventurous spirit is
molded among consumers today in terms of looking for unique and quality purchases.
Lastly, Singapores fashion scene is becoming increasingly vibrant over the years not
only with the introduction of luxury fashion powerhouses like Canali and Manalo Blanik,
but also with an influx of trendy street wear labels like BAPE, Comme Des Garcons Play
and Fifth Avenue Show Repair opening their stores here for the first time.
30. Trends
31. With the increasing demand among consumers for individuality, many firms now like
Royalefam, Louis Vuitton and Longchamp are doing customization services for their
customers. By giving the consumers freedom to choose materials, colours and the option
of having initials engraved/embossed on the products, firms are tapping into the growing
number of consumers who desires to be unique.
32. Secondly, the growing affluence of consumers especially in regions like China and India
could be the cause of a growing emphasis among consumers to Pamper Oneself
4

through Holidays, Relaxation Therapies and Fitness Packages. This accounts for an
increasing number of consumers looking to purchase travel and home accessories for e.g
Samsonite luggages that enhances the quality of their lifestyles. Some examples are
Porsche Design and Casa Armani, who have both been introduced by their respective
parent companies to tap into this up and coming niche market.
33. One of the most outstanding trends of recent times is the Green movement. Consumers
around the world are taking note and reacting to the environmental issues of the world
more so than ever. There has been an increase of demand for organic food products and
even organic garments. Many Companies of different market levels are introducing
garments made from the organic process to tap into the large eco-conscious market. Some
examples are, Muji, HnM and G Star Raw. Plastic bags consumption is reduced
significantly as more consumers are now opting to use shopping bags instead. Shopping
bags, usually made from recyclable materials, are used by some consumers as both a
fashion and Support the Green Movement statement. Anya Hindmarch can be credited
for starting the trend with her famous Im Not a Plastic Bag shopping bag which
caused frenzy among consumers of all market levels. Not only have countless replicas
been reproduced, numerous fashion companies like Clot Hong Kong and Marc by Marc
Jacobs have produced their own version of shopping bags also.
34. Lastly, the most crucial trend that shot BAPE to fame during the 1990s. Knowing that
products available in a limited quantity would be popular among consumers, BAPE
introduced a business model that has production of all its merchandises set to a very low
quantity. This caused frenzy among BAPE followers and the long queues during product
launches are regarded as free publicity.
35.
36. Company Background
37.
38. A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water or better known as Bape is a brand that has its
existence felt in many countries that has been labeled as fashion hubs. With 22 stores in
Japan and 10 stores strategically located in New York, Paris, Singapore, Taipei, Hong
5

Kong, Seoul, London and Shanghai they have grown from a cult and underground brand
to a full fledged fashion phenomenon.
39.
40. With the current offerings in furniture, mens, womens and kids apparel they now
appeal to a broad age range of consumers and has since been converted into a lifestyle
brand. To further enhance this experience would be the many temporary stores that have
popped up such as Bapecuts (salon), Bape Caf and Foot Soldier. Curry Up will be the
most recent venture into the lifestyle of the Japanese due to their strong likings for curry.
41.
42. The company also has a music department to it called Bape Sounds. Teriyaki Boyz,
which was made up of Ilmari (Rip Slyme), Ryo-z (Rip Slyme) was signed under this
record label. Albums that have been released till date will be Beef or Chicken (2006),
Serious Japanese (2009) and Delicious Japanese (2009). They have also worked with
artists like Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown.
43.
44. Designs in the early stages of Bape was strongly influenced from the way Tomoaki
Nagao, or better known as Nigo, was brought with strong influences of brands like
Adidas and Levis and music like Run DMC and DJ-ing. Parkas, tees and shoes would be
among better known Bape items.
45.
46. He first started out with Jun Takahashi (Undercover) in April 1993 with his first store
Nowhere. In this store he sold his first line of clothes, A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water.
The name is derived from the combination of the movie, Planet of The Apes (1968) and
the habit of the young Japanese men, which was also their target segment at that time,
who would take mid day baths in water of 40 degrees Celsius and overindulge.
47.
48. Items with the unique Bape camouflage would also stand out in an instant, especially
after they introduced their camouflage in other colors. Collaborations with prominent
names such as Spongebob Squarepants, Hello Kitty, DC Comics to Ealmes and Goyard
has helped Bape become attain the must-have status.
49.
6

50. Nigo stepped down as designer for Bape in December 2009 and moved into the art
directions for the company. Tetsu Nishiyama of Wtaps has taken over the helm and have
also introduced his personal collection, Urusu, which is strongly influenced from his
biking and military background.
51.
52. Stars like Robin Williams, DJ Unkle, Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Pharrell Williams, Ian Brown &
Kanye West had not just been seen wearing them but proving loyal to the brand by
having the brand on the streets and when they do appear for performances.
53.
54. Brand background
55.
56. Worldwide
57. Bape has strong branding in the past decade due to the strong demand and lack of options
in the urban culture. There was little competition, limited amount of products were
manufactured and the seeding (giving clothes to be worn but not a full endorsement) of
famed artists created a very successful brand that has items that was highly sought after.
Recent years has seen a minor drop in the designs of the company due to the changes in
trends. Strong colors, loud prints and looser fits are slowly being taken over by darker
and slimmer silhouettes. This has given rise to the migration of a significant portion of
the customers to brands, like Neighborhood and Wtaps, that sell the new look.
58.
59. Sales have been therefore affected to a certain degree but there is still a strong following
of loyal customers due to Bapes success in earlier years. Bapes movement into the
directions of a lifestyle brand that sells from clothes to furniture and even clothes for pets
has also helped greatly. The loyal customers, mainly from the Generation X, who has
grown with the brand from teenage years has adopted the Bape lifestyle and also included
their families into the sales contributed. This segment of customers, and a rather big
segment at that, would be the group of customers that has kept making good sales
through these years.
60.

61. The recent stepping down of Nigo as designer and Tetsu taking over would be Bapes
method of closing the gap with the current crowd. Tetsu, who is also designer for Wtaps ,
has been known for his mean urban clean and chic look. This look also happens to be the
latest trend that has dominated the market.
62.
63.
64.
65. Local
66. Bape had entered Singapore since 19th December 2009 and the sales figures thus far have
not stabilized. Monthly fluctuations could be due to the special and limited releases that
are not released on a regular basis. Weekly releases do not excite the consumers here as
much as they do for markets in the same region like Hong Kong and Taiwan.
67.
68. Bape faces competition locally but there are only a few direct competitors. Stage and
A.E.S from Taiwan would pose as a competition as a majority of Bape Singapores
customers are foreign students from China. The celebrities that created the brand have
growing influence in these countries, China and Taiwan, and this in turn will affect the
influence of the brands exposure.
69.
70. Another strong competitor would be the O by O collection, featuring Jeremy Scott,
Kazuki Kuraishi, Beckham & Bond (David Beckham & James Bond) and soon to be
released Fafi, from Adidas Originals. The brands strong financial background,
established company profile and strong marketing team will strongly influence the
market here as the iconic figures in the Asian culture has taken sides with Adidas in the
last year or 2. Brands that has been known for creating strong trends has also taken sides
with the German giants.
71.
72. The target segment for the company has yet been set as there has not been ample and
sufficient studies involved to clearly define the perimeters but an ideal range for a starting
store globally would be the ages between 18 to 29. This also leads to the fact that the
market share currently owned by Bape being almost impossible to calculate. But a
8

definite answer would be the share currently occupied by Bape can be expanded and so
can the range of the targeted segment if there is any.
73.
74. Two Retail Competitors in Singapore
75. According to our observation, 2 retail competitors in Singapore are Adidas Originals and
Stage (refer to Appendix 2.1). All 3 brands cater to mainly the youths market with
positioning of their stores in areas populated with majority youths and young adults.
Pricing varies between the brands, Bape being the most expensive comparatively.
Products offered by the brands are interesting and with a twist, this attracts like-minded
target consumers with similar views and choices in clothes.
76. Bape does not advertise through traditional media such as endorsements or magazines
advertisements. Their products are advertised by channels such as Word-of-mouth, Public
Relations and Buzz marketing. Both Adidas Originals and Stage used Celebrity
Collaborations and Celebrity Endorsements to advertise.
77.
78.
79. Consumer Profile in Singapore
80.

81. Demographics
82. Age
83. Upon visiting the A Bathing Ape Store located Mandarin Gallery Shopping Arcade,
Orchard Road on 20/11/10, Saturday and 23/11/10, Tuesday, we have observed that
consumers of varied ages (15 to 35) visit the store. However, most of the purchases were
made only by consumers age range 21 to 30 years old.
84. Race
85. Through in-store and street styled sartorial observations, most of A Bathing Apes
consumers are Chinese, both local and tourists. Only a handful of consumers who are of
Malay descent were observed visiting/ wearing A Bathing Apes apparels.

86. Income
87. Personal Interviews were conducted on 10 consumers. 6 of them were working adults
aged between 24 to 32 with the other 4 teenage students all aged 19.
88. Both working adults earn an average sum of $2200 per month , setting aside
approximately $300 to $500 for fashion related purchases. The 4 teenagers who are
currently serving the Singapore Armed Forces are drawing a salary of $800 per month,
setting aside up to $400 for entertainment and fashion related expenses.
89. Residence
90. Based on information provided from the store manager, consumers in the store were
mostly Chinese Students from China who are studying and residing in Singapore. He also
stated that most of the bigger spenders ($1000 and above for a single purchase) were
Chinese Nationals.
91. Occupation and Education
92. From the interview results collated from the 10 shoppers, 6 of the working adults stated
that they are working in the fashion and design related industries in Singapore. The 4
National Servicemen were all Diploma graduates who are planning to pursue their degree
at local universities after completing their term in the army.
93. Psychographics
94. Lifestyle
95. Bape in Japan has been so well established and has products with a vast range that they
are suitable for consumers from all walks of life. They have embraced and fully brought
forward the meaning of a lifestyle brand. The fact that Japanese believe a great deal in
supporting local brands and that every penny is worth every inch of quality has helped
the business grows.
96. Being a new brand of sorts in Singapore has made the fans in this region very happy.
They would be able to now incorporate Bape into their lifestyles as they can now buy
them at retail. As the local market is still not as open to better quality clothes in their
daily wear Bape would still be known as an expensive brand and that one should only
10

buy if one is wealthy or there is a strong reason to buy pricier items. Bape would also be
a brand to wear if you are a collector of items from the Japanese street scene or subculture as many of the bigger brands will do often collaborations with Bape or simply
because the products released are of very limited quantity. It is believed you will gain
street creds by doing so.
97. There is also a growing crowd that has started to buy into Bape in Singapore due to the
introduction of a retail store. This crowd has a higher spending power as they could be of
the Gen X cohort with already decent and stable paying jobs. Them seeing past the hype
and recognising the quality in the products has helped Bape reach into a market that it
was hoping to target but has not reached out yet.
98. Attitudes
99. Users and collectors of Bape will more than usually have the mentality that by wearing
Bape they are superior to other brands of common background. The knowledge of the
products being released in very limited quantity helps in banking in that fact. The urgency
to buy the items they want before it is sold out would mean they have to make weekly
visits to the store without fail as Bape believes in the No Reservations theory.
100.

Beliefs

101.

The majority believes that they have found a brand that can meet their every need

in life, from clothes to shoes to spectacles to chairs, thus they invest their maximum faith
in the brand. The idea that by holding onto limited items would make the clothes they
wear unique is also a strong selling point for the brand globally.
102.

Values

103.

The brand being of a certain level would have the consumers believe that they are

of a higher level of class as they are wearing an expensive item. If the price would match
other clothes the fact that the clothes are limited would greatly overshadow other regular
garments. The location of the store is also a strong selling point due to the fact that it is
located in a 5 star hotel.

11

104.

Personality

105.

Bape fans have always been labelled as loud, daring and very adventurous with

fashion in the street scene. A shirt in red or purple camouflage would be a norm and
wearing shoes that are bright and shiny would not mean they are childish. Music that
relate to the brand like, like hip hop, would also be a strong part of the culture. Players
that are more into the brand would even compete with one another by trying to own the
rarest and hard to get stuff.
106.

Buying Motives

107.

The fans would buy to collect and wear to impress their peers or people on the

streets. There is also a group of consumers buy to wear only on special occasions that
might arise and there is a need to wear clothes that are special as Bape designs their
clothes in a very Japanese manner.
108.

Extent of Product Use

109.

Extent of use varies for consumers of Bape as some would buy them to keep and

collect. There would be the ones of buy and wear only when special outings are nearing
and they would need to wear something that is of a bigger price tag. There would also be
a very consistent group of supporters that has bought Bape throughout the years and
would wear them on a daily basis.
110.

Other consumers

111.

There has been a group of consumers frequenting Bape since they gained their

popularity in 1998 that Bape has not been targeting. This group of consumers that are
better known as re-sellers would buy Bape by the bulk and resell the items on the internet
for a profit of up to 500%. Bape has come up with the policy that should a patron appear
like a re-seller the staffs have the right to deny any sale and invite the patron to leave the
store immediately. This is done to help prevent the Bape customers from suffering from
having nothing left to buy but the re-sellers would always have their way around so the
fight is still on.

12

112.
113.

Drivers of Consumer Behaviour

114.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, its about A Theory of

Human Motivation. Maslow subsequently extended the idea of humans' innate curiosity
of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans.
115.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the

largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for selfactualization at the top (refer to Appendix 3.1).
116.
117.

Physiological needs

118.

Physiological needs are the literal requirements for human survival. If these

requirements are not met, the human body simply cannot continue to function. They are
breathing, nutrition, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion.
119.

Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all animals,

including humans. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements.
The intensity of the human sexual instinct is shaped more by sexual competition than
maintaining a birth rate adequate to survival of the species.
120.
121.

Safety needs

122.

Safety needs have to do with people's yearning for a predictable orderly world in

which perceived unfairness and inconsistency are under control, the familiar frequent and
the unfamiliar rare. In the world of work, the safety needs manifest themselves in such
things as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the individual
from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies, reasonable disability
accommodations, and the like.
123.

Safety and Security needs include: Personal security, financial security, Health

and well-being, Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts
124.

Healthcare industry nowadays becomes popular in a develop countries. When the

living cost is in high standard, people will think about themselves, how to protect
themselves as well as their family, that why there many foreign insurance companies set

13

up in the develop countries with difference type, from life insurance, mutual insurance,
health insurance, car insurance, accident insurance, to against theft insurance.
125.

Same with the other developing countries, the demand for life insurance increases

in more ten recent years in Vietnam. There many insurance companies wear set up and
growing very fast in Vietnam.
126.

As per the Director of ACE Life Vietnam, his company had sold nearly 8,400

policies with the premiums from VND billion ($51,000) per each. The other insurance
company such as AIA is also same increasing, with 4 million policies had been taken out
worth VND 323.6 billion, increased 33 percent.
127.

Explanation for this increasing is the developing of the economy. The higher the

condition, the more demand for services such as healthcare and life insurance would be
improved.
128.
129.

Love and belonging

130.

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs

are social and involve feelings of belongingness. This aspect of Maslow's hierarchy
involves emotionally based relationships in general, such as: Friendship, Intimacy,
Family
131.

Humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, they need to love and

be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others.

132.

In the absence of these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness,

social anxiety, and clinical depression. This need for belonging can often overcome the
physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer pressure; an
anorexic, for example, may ignore the need to eat and the security of health for a feeling
of control and belonging.
133.

Because of the need of love or friendship or belonging, nowadays there are many

entertainment industry and services was shaped which is a solution for the human who
need to sharing their feeling to others.
134.
135.

Esteem

14

136.

Everybody wants to be respected and to have self-esteem. Esteem represents the

normal human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People need to engage
themselves to gain recognition and have an activity that gives the person a sense of
contribution, to feel accepted, be it in a profession or hobby. Most people have a need for
a stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs, a
lower one and a higher one. The lower one is the need for the respect of others, the need
for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. The higher one is the need for selfrespect, the need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence and
freedom. The latter one ranks higher because it rests more on inner competence won
through experience. Deprivation of these needs can lead to an inferiority complex,
weakness and helplessness.
137.

Youths nowadays know how to treat themselves, they take all the comfort and

luxury they have. This change caused a direct effect on what they buy and consume. In
recent years, there has been a tremendous growth of economy in Asia, so there is a big
change in consumer behavior. There are also more investments from overseas to Asia
which expose local consumers to more choice with a wider variety especially in the
fashion industry.
138.

One of such influx of overseas fashion label is Bape, the label is considered to be

an up-market street fashion brand and is respected highly mainly in the mens youth street
culture fashion scene. By buying an item from this brand, it would highly boast ones self
esteem to make them feel good and psychologically think that they are part of the hip
culture scene.
139.
140.

Self-actualization

141.

This level of need pertains to what a person's full potential is and realizing that

potential. Maslow describes this desire as the desire to become more and more what one
is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.
142.

Usually, the drivers of consumer are changed step by step, when the demands of

need was satisfied, human will try to reach to the high level which is not the simple
needs such as food, or drink or sex, their need now is for themselves to service
themselves which is more personalised.
15

143.

For consumers with stable income, food and fashion garment is not a problem, but

the problem is how and where to buy it. From wet-market, they have evolved to super
market where all the foods is served in a better manner. Buying in super market is a good
solution for modern housewives who dont have much time for family to select and
purchase faster.
144.

Then came the evolution of hypermarket, it grew very fast and has gained success

in Asia by their one stop shopping experience.

145.

Carrefour, the French retailer is one of the retailer which was set up the first store

in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008. As per Carrefour, Indonesian market was effected by 1997
Asian financial crisis and the Tsunami of December 2004, but then it grew steady in
2006. However, the other place in Indonesia, the poverty rate is still high, at 40%. In
2006-2007, Carrefour expanded its business, and opened nine store each years since then.
And now, there are 37 hypermarkets around Indonesia.
146.

Consumers also see the need to dress to stand out from the crowd and attract

opposite gender for attention and attraction. With increasing trend and emphasis on
individualism, they are willing to splurge on buying a brand image and lifestyle which
would make them look good. Bape is popular with the young adults and youth with good
brand image and trendy interesting designs.
147.
148.

Marketing Strategy In Singapore (refer to Appendix 4.1)

149.

Products

150.

The 3 main product lines available in Singapore are Menswear, Womenswear and

Ursus Bape. Ursus Bape is a new line of A Bathing Ape merchandises with toned down
designs to cater to the minimalist consumer. Products are launched during
Spring\Summer and Autumn\Winter. The respective lines are further categorized into
Goods and Accessories, Jacket, Cut and Sewn, Footwear, Shirts, Pants, Knit and Tshirt.
151.

A Bathing Ape produces quality products that are made in Japan in limited

quantity. A Bathing Ape adapts the silhouette of their footwear series from other
Shoemaking firms like Nike and Adidas. Popular footwear models from Nike, Adidas, Dr
Martens and puma are re adapted into A Bathing Ape merchandises. T shirts are usually
16

loud and graphic in nature. A Bathing Ape introduced Baby Milo, a monkey mascot that
makes occasional appearances in the designs of the t shirts and other merchandises. A
Bathing Ape also has the iconic Sharkie Parka which allows wearer to zip all the way,
fully covering his face. The Sharkie Parka, currently not in production anymore, remains
one of the most highly sought after product in the Japanese Street Wear scene.
152.

Pricing

153.

The exclusivity doesn't come cheap; their popular Bapesta shoes typically run

from $300 onwards. T-shirts range from $119 onwards, jackets and hoodies from $400 to
$700. In certain cases, some extremely limited apparel items are rumored to run well over
$1000.
154.

Place

155.

There is only one official flagship store in Singapore and it is located at Mandarin

Gallery #02-02/03. Mandarin Gallery houses many up-market international fashion labels
such as Marc Jacobs, Yohji Yamamoto and D&G. It is also in a prime location, being the
central busiest shopping district in Singapore. The interior design of the store is eyecatching and set to impress, giving consumers a memorable shopping experience. (refer
to Appendix 4.2) Other than their brick-and-mortar store in Mandarin Gallery, consumers
could shop on Bapes official website and items would be shipped to them.
156.

Promotion

157.

One major factor that heavily promotes Bape is the publicity gained from fashion

and street culture information publications and websites like Hypebeast.com,

Slamxhype.com and Freshnessmag.com. The magazines and websites are based in
America, Hong Kong or Japan where street fashion is a sizable market. They feature the
previews of upcoming releases and review on the latest products and collections by
Japanese and American street fashion labels like Bape, Nike, Original Fake and Stussy.
Many articles can be found that feature Bape products and that highly increased the
exposure of the products. Bape exclusive and exciting range of products have been
creating buzz among consumers around the world. They are often discussed on discussion
17

forum and on websites like Hypebeast. Bapes customers and fans share their thoughts
and ideas on the products on Bape over the Internet. This is a form of buzz marketing
where customers of a brand share their product benefits and information with other
people. Bape uses social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter as tools to
communicate with its customers which aid in building brand loyalty. This is a form of
viral marketing where the brand informs and updates its consumers with the latest
products and promotion on the Internet. Facebook and Twitter allow consumer to have
real-time interaction and sharing of opinions. Bape has a blog and online journal on the
brand which allows consumers to keep track with the happenings and promotion.
158.
159.

Critique

160.

Bapes current product range has successfully attracted the right target market

with a wide range of clothes and footwear offered. Currently they are venturing into
lifestyle products such as limited edition Bape bed, environmental friendly electronic
cigarettes, Bape caf and Bape hair salon. This venture is good for Bape as they would be
covering another target market of consumers who are interested in spending on furniture
and lifestyles instead of spending on garments and trends. Good reviews have been
gathered so far in forums, street culture information websites, feedbacks from existing
customers and fashion insiders have high expectations of this line. Various magazines
have also recommended their new range of lifestyle novelties. By diversifying into the
lifestyle market, Bape is also indirectly growing with its customers. When Bape first
started, consumers have relatively lower spending power in their youths when they focus
mainly on how they look with clothes. But now, existing consumers have all grown and
might have acquired higher spending power, they are now possibly looking into
investments such as furnishing their own home other than just fashionable clothes.
161.

Bape has only one store in Singapore but that has not been proven inconvenient as

the location is centralized and easily accessible. With the market size in Singapore, one
flagship store is sufficient and it also maintains Bapes exclusive brand image.

18

162.

Currently, Bape has not been very active in their promotional aspects and there is

not much advertisement put up by the company. Public Relations are more active
overseas as compared to magazines locally. It could be better if Bape has slightly more
promotions such as new collection launch party in-store or having new products
showcase tied with Singapores top clubs such as Zouk or Butter Factory to link the
lifestyle of street and youth with the brand and also to create brand recognition as well as
brand recall.
163.
164.

Conclusion

165.

Bape is constantly expanding product range and introduced services to attract new

customers and get customers to buy more products from them. Bape gets publicity mostly
from the PR and buzz they get from fashion information websites, celebrities sightings
and magazines. Bape has evolved from underground label to a fashion statement
phenomenom. However, there is still room for improvements on promotional and
marketing efforts in Singapore.
166.
167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
177.
178.
179.
180.
181.
182.
183.

184.
Reference
185.
Jim Frederick. 2004. Nigo Japan's King of Cool. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/heroes/hnigo.html. [Accessed 01 December 10].
19

186.
PIG Mag. 2005. Nigo (English). [ONLINE] Available
at: http://pigmag.com/it/2005/05/24/nigo-english/#. [Accessed 04 December 10].
187.
Honeyee. 2008. TETUS NISHIYAMA. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://blog.honeyee.com/tnishiyama/archives/2010/01/. [Accessed 03 December 10].
188.
IDA Singapore. 2010. Overview. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.ida.gov.sg/Infrastructure/20060411230420.aspx. [Accessed 04 December 10].
189.
Business Wire. 2007. Examine the Women Market in China : Women as
Consumers& Lifestyle Trends.. [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.allbusiness.com/population-demographics/demographic-groups/66625681.html. [Accessed 06 December 10].
190.
Masa. 2010. Mr. Bathing Ape Spring/Summer 2011 | Preview. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.freshnessmag.com/2010/12/07/mr-bathing-ape-springsummer2011-preview/. [Accessed 07 December 10].
191.
192.
193.
194.
195.
196.
197.
198.
199.
200.
201.
202.
203.
204.
205.
206.
207.
208.
209.
210.
211.
212.
213.
214.
215.

216.
217.

Appendix

20

218.
219.

220.
221.
222.
223.
224.
225.
226.
227.
228.
229.
230.
231.
232.
233.

234.
235.
236.

Appendix 2.1: Two Retail Competitors in Singapore

21

237.

238.

241.
Target
market

242.
18-30
243.
midhigh niche
market
244.
Men,
women and
children
252.
$119
for a T-shirt
256.
Up
market
shopping mall
257.
Mand
arin Gallery
261.
Uniqu
e and
innovative
designs with a
twist

251.

Pricing

255.
Distrib
ution

260.
Produc
t features and
benefits

264.
Adverti
sing strategies

Bape

265.
Wordof-mouth
266.
Buzz
Marketing
267.
Public
Relations

239.
Adida
s Originals
245.
18-30
246.
Mid
market
247.
Men,
women and
children

240.

253.
$75 for
a T-shirt
258.
Shoppi
ng malls for
the youth
Pacific Plaza
and Iluma
262.
Herita
ge inspired
design with a
sporty edge

254.
$63
for a T-shirt
259.
Scape
and Far East
Plaza

268.
Celebri
ty
endorsements

270.
271.
272.

Appendix 3.1: Maslows Hierarchy of Effects

22

Stage

248.
16-25
249.
Lowmid market
250.
Men
only

263.
Using
many
interesting
and special
symbols in
their designs
269.
Celeb
rity
endorsement
s

273.
274.
275.
276.
277.
278.

Appendix 4.1: 4Ps of Bape

23

279.

Product

284.

Price

280.

Men wears

285.

Middle to high price point

281.

Women wears

286.

From $119 for a t-shirt

282.

Children wear

287.

From $400 for a jacket

283.

Ursus Bape

288.

From $300 for a pair of shoes

289.
290.

Place

291.
Store located at Mandarin
Gallery
292.
293.
Store interior to give
memorable shopping experience
294.
295.
Online Bape store

298.

Promotion

299.

Public relation

300.
Products are featured in
magazines and websites
301.

Buzz marketing

302.
Discussion of the products in
forum and websites

296.
297.

303.

Viral Marketing

304.
Making use of social networks
websites like Facebook and Twitter to
interact and inform consumers
305.
306.
307.

308.
309.

Appendix 4.2: Bape Singapore store interior

24

310.

311.

25