fade_to_black hit the spot, BAPE is perhaps one of the best examples of how good marketing can compensate for subpar products and make you millions.
Seriously, it's all in the hype, nothing more. Much unlike actual designerwear (say, yohji yamamoto or jun takahashi of the undercover fame), all this ish on Bathing Apes, Nike SBs, absurdly lucrative collabs like Nike and Undefeated or whatever else have you, none of them have much if any construct value, that is to say, in terms of material, design and what not, the value is nil (a pair of lim. ed. $500 sb's are still made in china).
I see it as a process of random color and/or pattern combinations that are hyped up beyond belief through forums, magazines, or whatever else venue the pr guys can get their hands on, then released in limited quantities and from then on it's a hit or miss. if it's a hit (and it usually is, even if the sneaker itself is ugly as hell), they'll make a killing off the sneaker. if not, well, they'll try again because the next time would probably be a hit.
though nonetheless, i may be saying all this, but really I'm a sucker for the scene myself. Haha, i still end up buying into all the hype anyway so... i don't know, I would say I am a victim to this madness.
If you guys want to see live advertising, just look at the japanese rap group, Teriyaki Boys (courtesy of Bape sounds). They even have their own Rolls Royce Phantom decked out in a bathing ape camo paint job. Now THAT'S gaudy!