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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The Story of Ed Hardy Apparel

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.

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.

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.

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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