Nigo

is a Japanese fashion designer, disc jockey (DJ), record producer and entrepreneur. He is best known as the creator of the streetwear brand, A Bathing Ape (Bape), and currently serves as artistic director for Kenzo. Additionally, he is a member of the Japanese group Teriyaki Boyz, serving as their official in-house DJ since the group's 2005 debut.

Fashion background Nigo's venture into fashion started when he founded A Bathing Ape in 1993. Hiroshi Fujiwara is considered his mentor. which according to BBC presenter Jonathan Ross, later became the "epitome of collectable footwear". The sneaker resembles Nike's Air Force 1 design, but instead of the swoosh on the side, it has Nigo's Bapesta logo, a star with a lightning bolt extending out of it. In the cover news of the April issue of the trend magazine WWD for Japan, Bape's boss Nigo (formerly known as Tomoaki Nagao) announced plans to depart the company alongside Takahashi UC (Undercover) designer Jun Takahashi. Nowhere, established on April 1, 1993, no longer served as the designer of Bape. In 2003, Nigo partnered with Pharrell Williams to create and launch the streetwear brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear. Nigo also established his personal new company Nigold on April 4, 2009. In 2010, he launched his new brand Human Made. In 2013, Nigo left Bape for good. In 2020, Nigo partnered with Luxury brand Louis Vuitton alongside Virgil Abloh to create a capsule collection. In September 2021, Kenzo appointed Nigo as its new artistic director. In July 2023, Australian winery Penfolds appointed Nigo as its Creative Partner of two years.

Musical and entertainment background Nigo's first involvement with music was playing in punk cover band Tokyo Sex Pistols while at university, alongside fellow fashion figures Hiroshi Fujiwara, Jun Takahashi and Hikaru Iwanaga. He also has an MTV Japan show which he created called Nigoldeneye.

Together with BiS manager Watanabe Junnosuke, Nigo was the producer and manager for the female pop group Billie Idle. His involvement with the group began in 2014, when he directed a music video for BiS' song "Nerve", and after the group disbanded, Nigo and Watanabe offered BiS members First Summer Uika and Hirano Nozomi the chance to join their new project, Billie Idle. The group debuted in 2014 with the album Idle Gossip, for which Nigo is the executive producer. Billie Idle would go on to release a further four albums before disbanding in 2019. I Know Nigo! was co-executive produced by Nigo alongside Pharrell Williams. Williams and Nigo had first collaborated nearly two decades earlier, when the Neptunes contributed production to Beef or Chicken. The album's second single, titled "Want It Bad", was released in collaboration with American musician Kid Cudi. The album includes guest appearances from Tyler, the Creator, Clipse, Gunna, Teriyaki Boyz, ASAP Ferg, Pusha T, Lil Uzi Vert, and the late Pop Smoke.

Art collector Nigo met artist Kaws in 1996 and became an early supporter of his work. In 2005, he commissioned him a painting and Kaws painted the Kaws Album. The painting was sold in 2019 for $14.8 million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong among other artworks. The total of the sales of his art collection was $28 million.

He also worked with Futura, Stash, Hajime Sorayama, and André Saraiva. In 2026, he launched the "Nigo: From Japan with Love" in collaboration with the Design Museum in London. It was his first retrospective outside of Japan, with over 700 objects from early pieces and personal artefacts to recent work.

Miscellaneous Nigo speaks little or no English and uses a translator whenever he does interviews. Nigo has a cameo appearance in the Takashi Murakami short film Akihabara Majokko Princess shown at the "Pop Life" exhibition at Tate Modern in London.

Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions Title Details Peak chart positions AUS BEL(FL) CAN NZ US USR&B/HH Ape Sounds Released: September 11, 2000 Label: Mo' Wax, Toy's Factory Format: CD, LP — — — — — — I Know Nigo! Released: March 25, 2022 Label: Republic, Victor Victor Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 89 170 21 29 13 6

Singles As lead artist + List of singles with chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZHot USBub. "Arya" 2022 8 —I Know Nigo! "Want It Bad" 20 — "Hear Me Clearly" — — "More Tonight" — — "Heavy" 23 14 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other charted songs + List of charted songs, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album CAN NZHot USBub. USR&B/HH "Lost and Found Freestyle 2019" 2022 89 12 6 40I Know Nigo! "Come On, Let's Go" — 7 4 35

Awards 2005 Style Award, MTV Asia Awards 2020 Fashion designer of the Year Award, GQ Japan Men of the Year 2020