There are a lot of unsolved mysteries out there when it comes to the world of sneakers. But one of the biggest and most perplexing ones to date was this: Why hadn’t Nike sued BAPE?
This was the subject in so many sneaker forums back in the day. It’s been a question for decades at this point.
Now, though? It’s finally happened. Nike officially filed a formal complaint against BAPE in New York, alleging that the company has been using their “asserted trademarks” on the Air Force 1, Air Jordan 1 and Nike Dunk to create BAPE products. As a result, Nike says, there is confusion in the marketplace.
Nike isn’t exactly wrong here. BAPE’s foundation — the BAPE STA — revolves around sneakers that are very clear riffs on the Air Force 1. The Japanese streetwear brand has been making them since 2005. Those riffs have also extended to the Jordan 1 and Nike Dunk in the last couple of years — two of Nike’s most successful and iconic models to date.
But the thing is, BAPE has been around since the mid-2000s. And Nike has seemed to consistently let things slide. So we’re looking at two questions here. Why didn’t Nike sue them before? And why are they doing it now?
Luckily, we’ve got some answers. Let’s get into them.