Most species of ape are rare or endangered. Bummer for the hairy climbers, but inspiration for Japanese designer Nigo, who opened his first A Bathing Ape shop in 1993 with simple handmade T-shirts, gambling that guerrilla (gorilla?) marketing would convince Tokyo’s Harajuku kids to equate a paucity of inventory with exclusivity. Now, fifteen years later, the label—Bape, for short—gets the coffee-table treatment in “A Bathing Ape” (Rizzoli, $60), a massive new monograph that charts the company’s global evolution. Each page is splashed with variations on bright tees, luxe hoodies and caps bearing the company’s cuddly mascot or its signature camouflage print—looks aped by countless imitators. In addition to Nigo’s corporate collaborations with brands like Pepsi (Diet Bape anyone?), Sony and Adidas, the book documents the “Bape-stas" who followed his every move like Good Charlotte's guyliner-loving frontmen, singer M.I.A., Kanye West and producer (and Nigo design partner) Pharrell Williams. It's a fitting tribute to the man who helped elevate streetwear to the level of Eames. —Rebecca Thomas