Over 5,000 women and men celebrities have discovered the artistic appeal of the Ed Hardy shirt which is based on the work of tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. The clothing line, which packs the punch of a tattoo without enduring the process, is manufactured by the famous designer Christian Audigier. The fantasy images of skulls, mermaids, butterflies and snakes that Don Ed Hardy includes in almost all of his works display the creative genius that has made this California tattoo artist known all over the world.
Don Ed Hardy's career as a tattoo artist began in 1967 after he received a BFA degree from San Francisco Art Institute in printmaking. In the 70s and 80s, Don Ed Hardy lived in Japan and refined his skill with traditional tattoo masters.
With more than four decades of tattooing experience, Don Ed Hardy's skillful experimentation is the reason why he has achieved legendary status and is often referred to as "the Godfather of the Modern Tattoo." Over the years he has used art history to inspire his talent. He has masterfully combined icons from American, Japanese, and Cholo, cultures with surf, tattoo and hotrod designs to give his work a mesmerizing effect .
Ku USA, a clothing producer, reached a licensing agreement with Hardy in 2002 to use his designs for a line of apparel. After two years of production, other clothing companies started showing interest in using his designs as well.
Christian Audigier was one of the fashion designers that were astounded by the imagery of Don Ed Hardy's tattoo art themes such as "Love Kills Slowly." Don Ed Hardy and Audigier signed a licensing agreement in 2004 that granted the designer exclusive rights to use his designs as the "Ed Hardy" brand. The street culture clothing line has virtually created a lifestyle couture since its beginning.
Christian Audigier is called "The King of Jeans" because of his success as a clothing designer for companies like "Diesel," "Fiorucci," "Levi's" and "American Outfitters." He now lives in Los Angeles, but he was born in the southern city of Avignon, France. He was Head Designer at Von Dutch Originals, before creating the Ed Hardy clothing line. Audigier's marketing of the imagery from legendary Kustom Kulture artist Von Dutch is the reason why the brand was on the fashion hot list of celebrities worldwide.
The entertainment world inspired many of his marketing ideas such as promoting directly to celebrity clients. Audigier's success is partly due to this along with his charisma and close affinity to the entertainer lifestyle.
Christian Audigier's company, Nervous Tattoo, employs more than 45,000 people worldwide who produce six other clothing lines including: "Christian Audigier", "SMET", "Crystal Rock", and most recently "C-Bar-A", "Chuck Boyd", and "Paco Chicano." The Ed Hardy shirt is just one of the items in a complete line of clothing items and accessories for women and men.