What do Snoop Dogg and Sylvester Stallone have in common? Unfortunately it's not a hot new
musical collaboration. It's a brand new line from a hot designer. He doesn't work for Dolce and
Gabbana, Burberry or Chanel, it's Ed Hardy clothing, a brand new, original line from Christian
Audigier.
Don Ed Hardy, legendary tattooist, is the namesake of this unique brand of clothing. His Japanese
meets American style of work is idolised around the world, and he is known in many tattoo circles as
"The Godfather of Modern Tattoo".
Christian Audigier, who had previously designed lines for brands such as Urban Outfitters, Diesel
and Von Dutch, saw a great opportunity in Hardy's work. He approached Hardy in 2004 with an idea for
a clothing line based around his art and tattoo work. Hardy granted Audigier a license to use his
work, and Ed Hardy clothing was born.
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.
Many argue that Audigier's unique marketing style is the reason for all this success. If you
consider how often celebrities are photographer, the amount of celebrity networking that Audigier
participates in can lead to some lucrative opportunities. Rather than spending thousands of dollars
securing celebs for marketing campaigns, he simply gives his newfound friends free merchandise.
Audigier's site even has a photo gallery full of pictures of famous clients wearing his newest
designs.
The line is, however, not just for celebrities. As designer ranges go it is fairly reasonably
priced, with girl's t-shirts starting from $62 and men's from $57. It is also worth noting that the
whole range is based on a tattoo style that has endured for decades, so you can buy the clothes
knowing that the Ed Hardy range will not be going out of fashion any time soon.
