Bape Classic Monkey Print T-Shirt Collection Review: 100% Cotton, 250–300 gsm, Dozens of Colourways

A Bape monkey-print tee is rarely bought one at a time. This listing rolls dozens of colourways into one SKU — white or black bases crossed with red, yellow, grey, blue, green, brown, purple, cyan and pink across the D167, D168, D115, D169, D170, D081, D097 and D109 groups, plus black1, black2, black3 and white1. It is listed at USD 7.31 against a stated original of USD 8.41, and it was in stock when we pulled the catalogue. Our testing team ordered a sample in the 250 g to under 300 g cotton build and worked through it on the grey mat.

Specifications at a glance

The cotton is the real argument here

At this price the sensible assumption is a thin, see-through jersey. That is not what the listing describes, and not what the sample felt like: a plain-weave pure cotton in the 250–300 gsm band, breathable, with enough body to hold a straight hem without clinging. It sits in the middle of the summer-tee range — heavier than a fast-fashion basic, well short of a heavyweight streetwear blank.

One recurring buyer complaint says the fabric itself has changed: a retail buyer described current Bape cotton as smoother and cooler than the older, slightly coarser cloth, comparing it to a slick synthetic-feeling tee. Treat that as a note about the brand's direction rather than a measurement of this listing. It is a preference, not a defect, but if you bought a Bape tee in 2015 and are expecting that same dry hand-feel, you may be disappointed.

Sizing is the decision, not the colourway

Every other variable here is easy. Fit is not. The buyer reports we collected disagree with each other, and outside sizing guidance does too. Retail listings from StockX, Urban Outfitters and Editorialist all carry the same line — Bape runs roughly one size small against US sizing — while OPUMO's guide calls it generally true to size with a nudge to size up for a relaxed look.

"I would call it Asian sizing. I normally wear XL with 5.11 and Gap tees. When it comes to Evisu and Bathing Ape I go XXL." — r/bapeheads buyer

"Bape runs TTS. However, if you're in between sizes it is better to size up." — r/bapeheads buyer

A YouTube reviewer around 180 cm and 88 kg found the XL too snug for his taste, which matters because this tee is cut as a relaxed street fit — if XL reads tight on a large frame, the letter on the tag is doing less work than the chart. The listing itself admits a 2–3 cm measurement tolerance, so two tees in the same labelled size can differ by a full size step at the extremes. Check the chart, and if you sit within 2 cm of the boundary in the chest you are buying, go up.

Print behaviour over two washes

Copies of this tee are screen printed, and screen print on cotton has a well-documented failure mode: heat. Owners in Bape communities are consistent about it — the prints do not crack when the tee is washed cold and hung to dry, and machine drying is what kills them.

"My Bape shirts never crack. Had them for years. I wash on cold and hang them up. Never dry because the heat makes the screen print crack up." — r/bapeheads owner

Our sample followed that routine through two 30°C washes and air drying, and we re-shot the print edges under the same two lamps each time for comparison. No lifting at the border of the motif, no cracking across the ink field, colour still saturated. That is a two-wash result, not a two-year one, and we would not promise more than we measured.

The smell report

One buyer reported a faint formaldehyde-like chemical odour on unbagging and said a smell was the one thing they could not accept in a Bape piece. We flag it because it is the sort of thing you cannot inspect in a warehouse photograph. Our sample aired out; the complaint stands as a single report and we are not going to generalise it in either direction. If you are sensitive to that particular smell, budget a wash and a line dry before first wear.

Colourway sprawl and what it means for ordering

The option list is the headline feature and also a hazard. D167, D168, D115, D169, D170, D081, D097 and D109 are print groups, not the same graphic in different tints — the monkey and logo motif placement and scale shift between them. Because everything sits under one SKU and one price, the only way to know what you are getting is to match the exact colourway name to its own photographs before you add it to the haul. Ordering "white blue" and hoping is how people end up with the wrong layout.

Where it lands

This is a midweight pure cotton crew neck with a screen print, priced as a filler item, and it behaves like one in a good way: relaxed through the body, breathable enough for summer, easy under an open jacket with the graphic still visible. The unresolved question is not the fabric or the print — it is which letter you order. Two minutes with a tape measure against the chart is worth more here than any review, including this one.