Mandell Resigns as COO of Christian Audigier
Henry Mandell, the chief operating officer of Culver City, Calif.-based Ed Hardy, has left the company after more than two years on the job. Mandell, who estimated the company, a division of designer Christian Audigier’s apparel and licensing empire, grew from a $25 million operation to a more-than $250 million business under his tenure, said his departure was prompted by several reasons. “In a nutshell, I have been wanting to do consulting and perhaps teach at the college level. Also, with Hubert Guez joining the team as chief executive officer and the management team he brought in, I decided to act on that opportunity,” he said. “It has been an amazing two-and-a-half years. Christian is great to work with and the company is doing great. It has been a great ride.” Guez, who joined Ed Hardy in October, took over the CEO title from Audigier. A veteran of the blue jeans business, Guez produced goods for companies such as American Eagle Outfitters and Target at his Los Angeles-based Azteca Production International Inc., and recently shut down his Mexican factory. Ed Hardy, which is built around the tattoo artist Ed Hardy’s original works (the rights to which Audigier acquired in 2004), now encompasses 98 licenses and 18 retail stores. Guez and Audigier recently told California Apparel News that they plan to open 12 more retail locations in 2009 and continue to grow their licensing business.—Erin Barajas
