Leica Unveils the D-Lux 7 A BATHING APE® X STASH Limited Edition Camera
The Leica D-Lux 7 A BATHING APE® X STASH is the company’s latest limited-edition camera. Partnerships with streetwear company A BATHING APE (BAPE) and American graffiti artist STASH led to the development of this limited-edition D-Lux 7 compact camera from the German company.
“When I started doing graffiti in the early 1980s, the term ‘street art’ didn’t exist. It was only later, when we emerged from the tunnels and train stations, that we became much more visible. Documenting my art through photography has always been part of my creativity. With the advent of digital cameras, I got my first Leica,” STASH recalls, who recognizes many parallels between the three art forms. “They are visual, based on color, form and expressive freedom. I think they are strongly youth-driven, and there is so much creativity between them that one feeds into the other to help complete the story.”
Internally, the camera is identical to the standard D-Lux 7. The outside, on the other hand, gets a little glow-up in the form of a new body wrap featuring BAPE’s ABC Camo pattern with Ape Head insignia strewn throughout.
The camera will be available in two different finishes: black and silver. The black model has a STASH tag under the shutter button on the front plate and a BAPE tag on the flip-style lens cap. The silver edition, which is only available through BAPE’s online store, does away with the tag on the camera’s faceplate in favor of combining both BAPE’s and STASH’s tags on the flip-style lens cap.
The camera’s 17MP Four Thirds sensor and the same 24-75mm (full-frame equivalent) F1.7-2.8 zoom lens remain unchanged. Aside from 17MP still images, the camera can record 4K/30p video and 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second.
A BATHING APE®
Nowhere Co., Ltd. works to spread Japanese fashion culture throughout the world from its location in the center of Tokyo, one of the world’s major fashion centers. Since the company was founded in 1993, it has represented street style for more than 28 years. It has so far created recognizable design products, unique patterns, and characters, including “APE HEAD,” “BAPE® CAMO,” “BAPE STA,” “SHARK HOODIE,” and “BABY MILO®,” among others. It is currently available in all stores in Japan, the US, the UK, France, China, and other Asian nations. It has also grown to include a men’s, women’s, and children’s collection. Additionally, it has produced fruitful partnerships with well-known international businesses and credible performers. These partnerships are known for being versatile and without a specific focus on one particular genre of clothing or fashion.
STASH
STASH (Josh Franklin), one of the founding members of New York’s graffiti scene, is well known as an inventor and influencer in the field of urban architecture. His idea to include graphic graffiti motifs and fonts into the designs of commercial products attracted the attention of a large audience and assisted in bringing graffiti culture out of the darkness of subway tunnels and into the open. His cryptic (‘stashed away’) statements and recognizable signature have grown into their own brands and been celebrated in high-profile collaborations with leading streetwear companies. The street artist’s notion of preserving the fleeting moment has been realized thanks to the collaboration with Leica, which the photography enthusiast felt to be the ideal partner in his search for fresh ways to express himself.
The Leica D-Lux 7 ‘A BATHING APE® X STASH’ cameras are available for $1,895. They come with a carrying case, a camera pouch, and a flip-style lens cap.
More info on Leica’s website.
