Tattoos on Premium Denim
Christian Audigier made garage gear and trucker hats trendy when he was a designer at Von Dutch Originals LLC. Now on his own, he has combined premium denim, vintage washes and tattoo art in a new line called Ed Hardy.
Named after an actual tattoo designer, the Los Angeles–based line offers jeans, miniskirts, T-shirts, tank tops and, yes, trucker hats that have been subjected to various treatments for a distressed, broken- in look and to liberal applications of Hardy’s tattoo designs. Unsatisfied with displaying the tattoo art on the outside of the clothes, Audigier also had his designs etched on the inside of the garments. Wholesale prices for the collection, launched for Summer 2005, are $25 to $55 for T-shirts, $35 for belts, $65 to $115 for jeans and $170 for reversible silk bomber jackets.
Audigier star ted his new line two months after leaving Von Dutch in August 2004. Los Angeles–based Von Dutch said it is aiming now for a sophisticated look. Audigier licensed the rights to use Hardy’s name and art on clothing, jewelry, Zippo lighters, energy drinks and motorcycles, among other items. He also inked licensing deals to produce surfwear and shoes, which he expects to bow for Summer 2005 and Fall 2005, respectively. Audigier has opened an 800-square-foot store lined with tiger-print carpeting on Melrose Avenue at the corner of Fairfax Avenue, and he plans to unveil a second shop in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood in May.
The 60-year-old Hardy, who retired from tattooing late last year but still owns a studio called Tattoo City in San Francisco, said he wears Audigier’s T-shirts and sweat shirts.
“He is making a new piece, and it has its integrity,” Hardy said from his home in Honolulu. “It’s not taking an image and plunking it on something. It’s ver y creative.” Focusing on Asianthemed paintings nowadays, Hardy said the first clothing collection uses classic American images he drew in the late 1960s for sailors and Marines. He said he is brainstorming with Audigier to create new images.
Audigier is not the only designer inspired by tattoos. ADG LLC’s Love Junkie division also embellishes tops for men and women with tattoo-based skulls and other motifs. Audigier, who is French, said he wants to bring over what he did at Von Dutch to the new company and make more than a jeans line.
“It’s going to be a multi-product line,” he said. “I take [Hardy’s] art and mix it with my way.”
Audigier’s way seems to be working. One day at the recent MAGIC International trade show, Audigier said the company took $2 million in orders in two hours from European distributors. The designer said he has already booked $6.5 million in orders and that the first year’s wholesale volume will reach $15 million to $20 million.
For more information, call (323)655-2318. —Khanh T.L. Tran
