HYPEBEAST Spaces: 3peat.LA

Having already garnered great credibility through its online store and well-seasoned eBay account, 3peat.LA opened its doors for us to look at one of its newest methods for bringing heat to the public – the 3peat.LA showroom. Located in the most unassuming of buildings, the showroom sits among a number of offices in its historical downtown location. On the outside, there is not an inkling of signage (well, minus the tiny BAPE head sticker on the door handle) to inform the public that they are standing just a few feet away from a treasure chest of BAPE. Not limited to just A Bathing Ape, the showroom also houses brands such as Billionaire Boys Club, OriginalFake, Supreme, Nike, Jordan Brand, and a number of other classics — I even spotted a Saint Laurent biker jacket in decent condition. Looking past the hundreds of hoodies on display, you will see that the space in the showroom serves for other purposes besides displaying clothes — an area for studio photography, a room for website development, and finally a storage room where each of the items are inventoried. Whether you’ve moved on from your BAPE days or you’re just finding out about it now, 3peat.LA exists for a reason far beyond the trends of today, which is clearly shown in its preservation of the brand.

We met up with the founders for more information on how the obsession came to be:

Limitless Evolution

“The idea of naming our business after the term for winning consecutively just seemed perfect. Anyone can get lucky and win once but three in a row is undeniable.”

Tell us a bit about the operations of 3peat.

3peat encompasses everything we do from heatclub.com to the retail space to client work, to our own products and collaborative ventures in the works. We feel there are no limitations to what we can evolve into at this point.

Why the name?

The Jordan era Chicago Bulls Dynasty was what really coined the term for our generation and it’s that same era that gave birth to the sneaker culture as we know it. After the Lakers did it here in our hometown it was solidified. The idea of naming our business after the term for winning consecutively just seemed perfect. Anyone can get lucky and win once but three in a row is undeniable.

Why the focus on BAPE?

We have a long running personal appreciation for the brand. We originally started the business because we wanted to support our own collections by helping others do the same. It’s always been one of the few brands that you can wear and still sell for close to what you got it for. We appreciate things that are good enough to retain their value and few brands are able to do it like BAPE has done. People love to gripe about the price of BAPE but the reality is if you only buy heat and resell it when you’re done with it, it’s actually cheaper than buying less expensive stuff that retains no value.

Tell us about the current location. How’d you pick the space?

We spent a year at our first office in Marina del Rey but it was just creatively stifling and when we stepped out of the office there was nothing going on. Moving to DTLA was the best move for us. The vibe and energy that is happening right now in downtown is so inspiring and it’s great to be a part of this new frontier so to speak. The idea to create the private retail space came out of gaining some extra square footage along with the continual requests by local customers to come shop in person. It was also a nod to the original BAPE stores in Japan that were always hidden and hard to find.

Looking Back and Looking Forwards

“The beauty of a brand like BAPE is that with 20 years of producing such an abundance of unique products there is so much stuff out there.”

3peat sees a lot of heat come through its doors. Where does the stock come from?

At this point the stock finds us for the most part. We bring over a lot of BAPE from Japan just because we can, but most of our inventory comes from collectors and enthusiasts that value our service. eBay and the other fashion platforms love to charge a hefty fee even though you’re doing all the work and taking all the risk. For basically the same fee we take all the photos and do all the work. No one does this. It’s dumb really but we just can’t help ourselves. Get on board now before we come to our senses!

You’ve been supporters of A Bathing Ape since the OG days, what are your thoughts of it changing hands to I.T. now that NIGO has stepped away?

It was certainly scary when it happened because when you think BAPE you think NIGO and vice versa. I have to say that so far we have been pleasantly surprised with the continued level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that has remained in the newer post NIGO seasons. For the most part the brand has remained fairly true to the foundation laid by NIGO. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Dealing with BAPE for so many years, any highlights?

The beauty of a brand like BAPE is that with 20 years of producing such an abundance of unique products there is so much stuff out there. Just when we think we have seen it all we get something coming through our door that we never even knew existed. I can’t tell you any names but we have been fortunate enough to help some people-in-high-places sell off their collections and have had the chance to see some extremely rare items, and not just from BAPE. It never gets old.

Final words or future plans?

Just keep an eye on us.