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Monday, June 30, 2008

Ed Hardy Clothing - A History

By Roisi Proven

What do Madonna, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg and Sylvester Stallone all have in common? No, it's not the newest romantic scandal in Hollywood - In recent years one line of clothing has been by worn by all these celebrities and many more. It's not Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Burberry, it's Ed Hardy clothing, the hottest new brand by French designer Christian Audigier.

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.

Christian Audigier saw a fantastic marketing opportunity in Hardy's tattoos. He approached Hardy in 2004 with a clothing line idea based on his artistic style. Hardy, knowing that Audigier had already designed for the likes of Urban Outfitters, Diesel and Von Dutch, knew that his work would be in good hands, and so granted the licence.

The line swiftly became a hit across the world, but no group embraced Ed Hardy clothing more than Hollywood's celebrity set. Both Snoop Dogg and Sylvester Stallone are regularly seen wearing the Ed Hardy brand. In fact, both Stallone and Snoop have visited Audigier's warehouse and his home.

The reason for this success is Audigier's unique marketing style. He networks more than any other designer in order to get clients to wear his clothes as often as possible. When you consider how often some of these celebrities are photographed, it ends up being a very lucrative way of advertising. Giving away free merchandise is far cheaper than forking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to use the same celebrities in ad campaigns. In fact, the official site of the brand has a "Celebrity Gallery" section which is a selection of pictures of Audigier with his various celebrity clients.

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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