Over the years I began to develop an appreciation for streetwear backpacks, particularly brands like Bape and Supreme. When I was looking for ways to make money online, I found that there was an opportunity in the resale market to buy things in Japan and resell them in other parts of the world.
As a Digitravelist, I usually look for functionality, practicality and design when it comes to backpacks. Sometimes it’s hard to find that all in one backpack, so I often resort to having multiple bags for different occasions.
At the time I was teaching English and whenever I had free time I would often explore second hand shops for deals on shirts and other types of clothing then see if I could make a profit on those items over Ebay. Sometimes I would even keep things that I could wear myself.
Since we focus largely on backpacks at the Digitravelist, I wanted to talk a bit about two very big streetwear names: Bape and Supreme. In particular, are they worth the price and value?
Bape and Supreme Streetwear Backpacks
Bape and Supreme are largely known for their influence on streetwear culture in both the skateboarding and hip hop community. Supreme started in the early to mid-90s as a small store in New York City which later blew up over the next decades. Bape was also founded around the same time in Tokyo which was another major fashion hub.
Though these two companies made a large portion of their revenue from shirts initially, they began to venture off into other apparel such as streetwear backpacks as they saw their brands continue to grow.
Where do you buy Bape and Supreme Backpacks?
If you’re living in the US, there are only a handful of stores where you can buy authentic Bape and Supreme streetwear bags and backpacks. That would be directly from the store. However, even then there may be limited supply and designs available at any given time. So, the only way to find some of the limited edition or past designs would be to buy from resellers.
Note of course that resellers are in it for the business and a buyer can expect paying a markup over the price the reseller may have paid in store.
But how do you know if what you’re buying is real or whether the reseller is trustworthy?
Luckily in 2020, we have some amazing companies like StockX (resale streetwear brand product marketplace) who take care of the verification process to ensure goods on their marketplace are 100% authentic.
On the other hand, eBay still has a pretty large buyer/seller community for streetwear, however, buyer beware – there are a lot of Chinese knockoffs on there so you should do your due diligence.
How much do Bape and Supreme Backpacks usually cost?
This is a big DEPENDS. But the general range for a Bape or Supreme backpack usually falls within the $200-$350 USD range. This can however go upwards to $1000 depending on how limited the backpack or bag is. It’s not unusual to see Bape or Supreme do a collab with another successful company like North Face or Porter. Expect the price for these types of items to be higher than “usual”.
For Bape Bags on the resale market, click here.
For Supreme backpacks on the resale market, click here.
What are the most sought after styles for Bape and Supreme backpacks?
From what I’ve seen over the years, when it comes to shoes, shirts and jackets, Camo styles tend to be very high in demand. Camo has just stuck around for the longest time.
With that being said, Camo backpacks from either Bape or Supreme are not easy to come by.
The Supreme box logo on a lot of products is the most popular go-to. If you can find an all-black or all red Supreme backpack, you’ll be able to fit it into a variety of different wardrobes. Simplicity can always be modern and stylish.
Are Bape and Supreme backpacks worth the price tag?
This is very subjective. It depends highly on how much either brand feels to you. For me personally, I love Bape’s brand. From the design to the history to the influence the company has had on artists.
So I would pay $75 for a t-shirt if it looked cool. However, I don’t think I’d splurge $500 on a hoodie unless I could throw money around.
When it comes down to the quality of backpacks, I’ve seen this varied depending on whether the bag was a collab or not. For example, a Supreme collab with North Face backpack has the quality of a North Face bag with the style and branding of Supreme, so in this case, you’re paying for the brand value here.
With that being said, the resale value on these items even after being used can be still quite high. So if you’re hesitant as to whether you should pull the trigger, you can have some assurance to know that there is a good chance you can resell the backpack on eBay or StockX.
Maybe streetwear backpacks aren’t your thing and perhaps you’re leaning on a different type of bag that focuses on practicality or functionality. If that’s the case, check out:
