Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Evolution of the Ed Hardy Brand

By Roisi Proven


What do Madonna and Britney Spears have in common? Unfortunately there isn't another gay scandal in Hollywood, but there is a fashion one. In the past few years a brand new line has been coveted by these celebrities and many others. It isn't a new line from Burberry, Fendi, or Gucci. It's a brand new line by Christian Audigier, and that line is Ed Hardy clothing.

Ed Hardy clothing takes its name from the man who inspired the line, Don Ed Hardy. Hardy is considered one of the best tattoo artists in the world and in tattoo circles he is called "the godfather of modern tattoo". His Japanese meets American style is highly original and highly sought after around the globe.

In 2004, Christian Audigier approached Don Ed Hardy with an idea for a new clothing line based on his style of tattooing. Hardy agreed to the idea, knowing that Audigier had previously designed lines for brands such as Urban Outfitters, Diesel and Von Dutch. If anyone could bring his tattoos to life in a clothing line, then it was Audigier.

Ed Hardy clothing quickly became a sensation across the world, but nobody took to the new range more than Hollywood's celebrity elite. Madonna wears Ed Hardy caps and t-shirts almost daily, and Britney Spears was recently filmed raiding the designer's massive California warehouse.

Audigier's unique style of networking has undoubtedly a big part of why he is so successful in the business. He even has a "celebrity gallery" section on his official site that has literally dozens of pictures of him with the hottest celebs around. It ends up being very lucrative giving away free merchandise to celebrities, as the amount of exposure that they receive is so significant. It is also far cheaper than paying thousands of dollars to have the same celebs star in an ad campaign.

However, with men's tops starting from $57 and women's from $62, it is clear that this line is not only for the rich and famous. It is also reassuring to know that the Ed Hardy line will definitely not be going out of style any time soon. It is not often that you can say that about clothing, but with it being based on a style of tattooing that has endured for decades, we can be sure of many fashionable years to come.

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