A Kingdom for a Tattoo
For Christian Audigier, the tattoo is not merely a work of art. It’s a gateway to an empire.
The French-born entrepreneur started fashion company Ed Hardy in October 2004 by selling graphics of classic tattoos on baseball caps and Tshirts. His company blossomed in its first year, earning $15 million, and he projects it will earn $50 million this year.
Audigier’s fashions feature tattoo graphics such as fierce tigers and humorous-looking bulldogs penned by San Francisco–based artist Don Ed Hardy.
Price points range from $55 for a T-shirt to $500 for a leather jacket. Ed Hardy is sold in specialty stores such as M.Fredric and Metropark at Nordstrom, as well as the Ed Hardy boutique on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue.
The Ed Hardy universe continues to expand. In June, Ed Hardy stores are scheduled to open in New York’s meatpacking district and in Tucson, Ariz. A boutique in Miami should debut this summer. Within the next five years, more than 40 Ed Hardy stores could grace the globe.
Audigier keeps the stores full by introducing more than two products each month. In May, it was sunglasses and premium denim.
He’s licensed the Ed Hardy name out to bottled water and apple-flavored energy drinks. He’s even considering opening Ed Hardy restaurants and hotels.
Audigier had more surprises for his 48th birthday party on May 27. The man who made a fortune on T-shirts and tattoos required his 450 guests to wear tuxedos and gowns to the party at his Beverly Hills mansion.
Guests included denim gurus Paul Guez, Gerard Guez, Jimmy Taverniti, retailers Fred Levine of M.Fredric, actor Mickey Rourke, rapper The Game and rockers Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte.
Even though he was wearing a Ralph Lauren tuxedo, Audigier found a way to make the good times roll. He rode a custom-made Exile motorcycle past an applauding crowd in his backyard. He also played guitar with the evening’s entertainment, musicians Chico & The Gipsies. And he even found time to reflect on what makes a tattoo great.
“It’s the sharpness of the lines, the quality of the color and the detail in the design,” Audigier said of his inspiration. “A tattoo and a T-shirt is the same thing: With both, you’re wearing art.” —Andrew Asch
