AAPE Opens First India Store in New Delhi, Eyes Multi-City Expansion

Japanese streetwear label AAPE by A Bathing Ape opened its first Indian store at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, and plans to expand into other major Indian cities over the next three years. The debut marks the brand's entry into one of Asia's fastest-growing apparel markets, with a defined local operating partner already in place.

The New Delhi store carries AAPE's Fall/Winter 2026 collection of men's and women's apparel and accessories. The range spans graphic T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, shirts, jackets, bottoms, shorts, caps and bags. Signature design elements include the Moon Face logo, camouflage patterns and seasonal graphic work. For the launch, AAPE has issued a limited-edition New Delhi T-shirt with an exclusive camouflage design created for the Indian debut, a tactic that gives the store an initial exclusive SKU and a measure of local relevance from day one.

Who runs the India operation?

Unit Nine Private Limited will manage local retail operations, marketing and customer experience. The structure positions AAPE's parent-side involvement around product and brand direction, while Unit Nine carries execution responsibility on the ground. The brand has not disclosed store count targets, investment figures or timelines for individual city openings beyond the three-year horizon.

Where does India sit in AAPE's footprint?

AAPE launched in 2012 as a diffusion line within the A Bathing Ape portfolio. Its collections draw on street culture, music, sports and popular culture, featuring the Moon Face logo, camouflage patterns, bold graphics and AAPER characters. The brand already operates in Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Its international retail presence includes Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. India now becomes the newest market in that network, extending the brand's West Asian and Southeast Asian coverage into South Asia.

What does the licensing and collaboration record show?

AAPE has collaborated with Coca-Cola, Tommy Jeans and Audi, a record that supports its positioning as a diffusion brand with partner-facing commercial reach. For Fall/Winter 2026, it partnered with Alpha Industries on a streetwear version of the MA-1 flight jacket, and K-pop group LNGSHOT featured in the season's campaign. These tie-ins give the India launch a current-season collection with recognizable partner products on the floor, rather than a diluted entry assortment.

For sourcing and licensing professionals, the model follows a familiar pattern: an international streetwear brand entering India through a local retail operator rather than direct investment, with expansion tied to a multi-year window rather than committed store counts. Whether the three-year plan yields a scaled network or a single flagship will depend on Unit Nine's execution, rent economics in premium mall locations and Indian consumers' appetite for diffusion-line streetwear pricing. The next signal to watch is the announced pace of city openings.