To me, Bape, was a brand I avoided like the plague. The products they were putting out were more geared towards kids that would probably need a ride to get to the mall. The all over prints, the Air Force 1 cloned pantent leather Bapestas, and the silly, complete zip up hoodies, were just way too much for me. I thought for sure that Nigo would run this pattern till the end, and I would never have to worry about Bape again. And for a time, I thought my assumption was spot on, until some time last year, there was an announcement that Bape would be teaming with United Arrows, to put together a dressier line of clothing under the name, Mr. Bathing Ape. This line would consist of suits, hats, shoes, and other accessories. In the past month or so, there have been several images floating around of pieces of this collection which indeed looked promising, causing me to shut up, if only for a brief moment. Yesterday, a more detailed set of snaps, of piece from this collection finally surfaced, and I for the first time, am actually excited about something Bape related.

Pictured above are the Mr. Bathing Ape Regal slip-on loafers. These stood out to me, more then any piece I’ve seen so far, partially because I’m addicted to shoes, but mostly because of the clean, polished look. I could honestly see myself wearing them on a regular basis, without feeling over dressed. Full details on the material used have not been released, but I pray it’s not patent leather, as it tends to make items look cheaper in my opinion. You will notice the mustache stenciled into the upper of the loafer, this is Mr. Bathing Ape’s primary branding, and pretty damn slick placement on these shoes. The loafers are scheduled to be part of the spring/summer line, but with no hard date or price point, all I can really do is sit and wait. My only concern at this point is that, 1) the won’t be released outside of Japan, and cost me a fortune to import, 2) they won’t be released in any size over 11, or a combination of both, as is usually the case. Oh well, at least I have my pictures.

If you are interested in seeing the other items so far in the collection, head over to Culture Shoq to see the remainder of the pictures.