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For thousands of men and women celebrities who love body tattoos, the Ed Hardy shirt brings the fantasy world of mermaids, snakes, butterflies and tigers into their wardrobe as wearable art. These fantasy themes often appear in the designs of California tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy, whose tattoo design skill and brilliant imagination has earned him global acclaim. The artistry has been translated into a full clothing line by the famous designer Christian Audigier that provides the pleasure of wearing a tattoo without going through the actual process.

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.

The tattoo themes of “Death Before Dishonor” “Free” and “Love Kills Slowly” by Hardy are a few of the fantastic images that prompted Christian Audigier to seek an agreement with Don Ed Hardy. In 2004 Audigier received exclusive rights from Ed Hardy to use his designs and the “Ed Hardy” brand was created. Ed Hardy apparel is lifestyle couture with a street culture edge.

Christian Audigier has earned the title “The King of Jeans” from his success as a designer for clothing companies such as; “American Outfitters,” “Diesel”, “Fiorucci” and “Levi’s.” Although Audigier was born in Avignon, France, Los Angeles is his true home. Before creating the Ed Hardy brand, he successfully promoted the artist Von Dutch who produced the imagery of legendary Kustom Kulture and it became a celebrity fashion “must-have.”

Audigier’s success is because of his love of the entertainer lifestyle and his charisma. This close relationship to the entertainment world is at the heart of his promotional method of marketing directly to a celebrity clientele.

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.