How can you spot a fake Bape T-shirt?
A Bathing Ape (or BAPE ) is a Japanese street fashion brand founded by Nigo in Uraharajuku in 1993. It is a very popular brand and many celebrities appear in magazines and catalogues wearing Bape clothes. Today, Bape is considered one of the most iconic names in streetwear, widely recognised for its shark-patterned hoodies and iconic camouflage print. Unfortunately, such popularity has led to a lot of counterfeit BAPE sweatshirts and T-shirts. That's why we're going to explain to you in this article how to recognise counterfeit Bape T-shirts.
1. Front printing
What would a Bape T-shirt be without its monkey print? Nothing, of course. The original monkey print is much larger and more detailed than the one shown in the photo on the left below. The print on the inauthentic model is strangely round, when it should have more defined and sharper edges.
The outline isn't the only thing ruined by the replica factories. For example, the shape of the mouth is much thicker on the fake Bape T-shirt, as is the letter 'R' in the bottom right-hand corner of the monkey. What's more, the colours in the original print are highly saturated, which is not the case with the poor quality print on the left.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
2. Front printing (superior quality)
This is another print, but in this case the monkey on the fake is larger in shape but thinner when the original print is very thick. The font has clearly been copied incorrectly, as the letters are supposed to be thicker and bolder, closer to the monkey with less space between them.
Indeed, in the image below, we've highlighted how the fake Bape T-shirt has its letters 'A' and 'T' in the word 'BATHING' with two bumps at the top of the letters, while all the other letters have the same font weight.
In addition, you may also notice how the trademarked element of the fake Bape has the letter "R" touching the circle, while the legitimate element of Bape has a small letter not touching the circle.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
3. Neck label
The original neck label has very bright colours from yellow to green, whereas these colours on the fake label are faded and don't have the same quality.
The font is copied fairly well but the letters are supposed to be more defined. The edges of the original label are also thicker.
What's more, you can see how the trademark symbol (R) is far too small on the fake Bape item compared to the genuine one, so much so that it's almost impossible to see.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
4. Sleeve label
The sleeve label has an iconic monkey on it. Sometimes even the original brand is inconsistent when it comes to sewing labels, but the label doesn't have to be sewn chaotically as shown in the image on the left.
The monkey shape is larger on the genuine label and the colour is brown, whereas the fake print is dark red. The font of the 'R' is also different on the fake, as it's not meant to be as thick and bold, but thin and paler.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
5. The washing label
It may seem a little odd to check a wash label when authenticating an item, but as you can see, replica factories don't really pay attention to these little details.
The print quality is very poor on the fake label, with the letters and icons so blurred it's almost impossible to see them. Whereas this print is supposed to be bold and thick, as the image on the right shows.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
6. The gold logo label
This is the last method we're going to talk about today. The print on the original label is matt and the background is textureless, whereas the fake print has a strange glittery look with a super textured background. Also noticeable is the fact that the fake Bape logo on the gold label has different dimensions and different edge spacing.
If you look at the back of the labels, the letters on the fake model are also impossible to read. Beware of Bape's fake gold labels, which are sometimes too shiny.
Left: a fake Bape T-shirt, right: a real Bape T-shirt
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Buying a Bape T-shirt is not a trivial matter, and many people choose the second-hand option to get a good deal while avoiding the high price. While this can be a good option, it's important to be wary of the many online scams that can be found on classified ad sites such as Leboncoin, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace. To avoid buying a fake A Bathing Ape T-shirt from a private individual, you now have all the information you need thanks to our guide above.
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We've also written an article on how to spot counterfeit Gucci T-shirts.