Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier: Tattoo Art Makes an Impression
Designer Christian Audigier took the art of Don Ed Hardy, a San Francisco tattoo artist, and incorporated it into the Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier label in 2004. Today, the brand encompasses everything from T-shirts and dresses to underwear and shoes.
Now Ed Hardy’s distinctive style can be seen in men’s and women’s swimwear. Shai Sudry and Saul Judah, partners in a swimwear-manufacturing venture called Sea and Sun, have a 10-year license to make swimwear under the Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier labels.
The swimwear was launched in January with the Spring/Summer 2008 collection. Already, entertainer Britney Spears has been photographed wearing an Ed Hardy bikini on recent jaunts to Costa Rica and Las Vegas.
“It’s young. It’s fresh,” said Sudry, whose neighbor, French singer Johnny Hallyday, introduced him to Frenchman Christian Audigier at a time when Sudry was thinking about getting out of the denim business.
The Ed Hardy swim label and the more upscale swimwear label Christian Audigier are manufactured in Los Angeles from imported Italian fabric made of 80 percent polyester and 20 percent Lycra. Each swimsuit is printed using a sublimation process that infuses the fabric with colorful and intricate designs meant to withstand chlorine.
The Ed Hardy label is for a younger crowd, from ages 15 to 35. There are seven bodies for women, from bikinis with halters and bandeau tops to one-piece silhouettes with plunging necklines.
The Christian Audigier swimwear label is geared toward women ages 25 to 60. It, too, has bright colors, bikinis and one-pieces made of Italian fabric. The women’s swimwear labels wholesale from $69 to $107. The men’s boardshorts and trunks wholesale from $34 to $38.
For more information, call (213) 627-1939 or visit www.edhardyswimwear.com. —D.B.
