What Is Sizing Like at A Bathing Ape (BAPE)?

A Bathing Ape — BAPE to everyone who actually wears it — runs small. It's a Japanese label cut to Japanese proportions, so as a rule most women will want to size up once from their usual UK size to land that relaxed, lived-in streetwear fit the brand is famous for. Buy true-to-size and you'll get something neat and cropped; size up and you get the slouchy, hood-up silhouette you've seen on everyone from Rihanna to the coolest girl at the skate park.

I've styled enough streetwear over the years to know BAPE trips people up at the checkout, so let me save you the returns faff and the disappointment of a parcel that doesn't fit.

Why BAPE fits the way it does

BAPE was founded in Tokyo back in 1993 by Nigo, and it has stayed loyal to Japanese sizing ever since. Japanese ready-to-wear is simply cut leaner and a touch shorter through the body than the UK and US equivalents, which is why a "medium" from Tokyo behaves like a snug small over here. It catches people out precisely because we assume streetwear equals oversized — but BAPE's house cut is closer to the body than the hype photos suggest.

I learned this the hard way. My very first BAPE buy was a shark hoodie in my "normal" medium, and I genuinely couldn't get the sleeves to sit right — the body landed somewhere near a crop and the cuffs gripped my forearms. Lesson burned in for life: with BAPE, your high-street medium is their large.

How BAPE actually fits, piece by piece

Hoodies & sweats (the hero pieces): cut slim and slightly short. Size up once for a comfortable regular fit, or twice for that proper oversized, sleeves-past-your-knuckles look.
T-shirts: same story — neat and a fraction short in the body. Size up if you like an easy, untucked length.
Shirts & overshirts: a happy exception — these are cut boxier and more relaxed, so your usual size often works.
Jackets & outerwear (puffers, parkas, the shark zip-ups): they come up small, but they're designed to layer. Size up so a hoodie fits underneath without straining the zip.
Trousers & sweatpants: relaxed through the leg but often tight on the waist. Check the product description and size up if you're between.
Trainers & footwear: built to US sizing, so convert carefully and go up half a size if you have a wider foot.
The women's line: the dedicated ladies' pieces run small too, so the trusty size-up rule still stands.

My styling advice

The trick with BAPE is restraint, which feels counter-intuitive for such a loud brand. Let one piece be the hero and pare everything else right back. One of my favourite wins was styling a camo shark hoodie with sharp tailored trousers and a slim ankle boot for a client who thought streetwear "wasn't for her" — the contrast made it look intentional rather than costume-y.

Balance an oversized hoodie with something fitted on the bottom — straight or tailored, not baggy-on-baggy.
Treat BAPE's camo as a neutral. Style it like you would denim and it instantly reads grown-up.
Keep accessories quiet. The graphics are doing the talking, so let them.

Where to find the BAPE look (and fit) on the high street

If you love the silhouette but not the resale prices, these are the high street names I'd send you to first:

Uniqlo — the obvious Japanese cousin. Its UT graphic tees and boxy sweats share that Tokyo DNA at a fraction of the price, with famously consistent sizing.
Superdry — built on Japanese-inspired graphics; its hoodies and joggers give you the logo-heavy, street-casual feel without the hype tax.
Urban Outfitters — the go-to for oversized graphic hoodies, baggy tees and skate-leaning fits if you want the shape but not the shark.
ASOS — unbeatable for breadth. Filter by "oversized" and you'll find streetwear staples in every size, plus labels like Carhartt WIP under one roof.
Topshop — back and trend-led, and strong for the slouchy-hoodie-and-trainers look that pairs perfectly with a statement piece.
Gymshark — for the athleisure end of street style; its oversized hoodies and joggers are cut roomy, so no sizing-up maths required.
Levi's — not streetwear as such, but the perfect denim and graphic-tee base layer to ground a loud BAPE hero piece.

Premium picks

The North Face — the technical-meets-street crossover (and a long-time BAPE collaborator). Brilliant puffers and fleeces that layer beautifully with statement casualwear.
Ganni — Copenhagen-cool with a playful, graphic sensibility; the grown-up way to do loud, characterful casual.

Luxury & designer

Kenzo — fittingly, BAPE founder Nigo is now Kenzo's artistic director, so his Paris work carries that same graphic, logo-led playfulness with proper luxury fabrication.
Acne Studios — Scandinavian, oversized and immaculately made; the elevated answer to the slouchy hoodie.

Two left-field independents worth knowing

House of Sunny — the London label behind those cult statement knits and separates. Sustainable, distinctive and perfect if you want standout casual that isn't on every high street.
Daily Paper — Amsterdam-born streetwear with a strong cultural identity and clever graphic logo-play; a genuine alternative to the BAPE look with real substance behind it.

Stop guessing your size — let Tellar do it

Sizing-up rules are useful, but wouldn't you rather just know? Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool — measure once and your body is matched instantly to 1,500+ brands. Never squint at a size guide again.

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And once you're sized, dive into the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free: style advice, top picks and the best brands for every query.

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