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 venture into fashion started when he founded A Bathing Ape in 1993. Hiroshi Fujiwara is considered his mentor. He initially sold a few Bape Hoodies and T-shirts and camouflage print hoodies in a small store, items which became very popular among teenagers. In 2002, Nigo released the Bapesta sneaker, 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 that he is about to leave and he will be leaving with Takahashi UC (Undercover) designer Jun Takahashi. Nowhere, established on April 1, 1993, no longer serves 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 himself 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 2014, Nigo became the creative director for Uniqlo's UT brand. 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.