Eagle Outfitters
Q&A With Christian Audigier on Ed Hardy
The King of Jeans expands his Kingdom into the tattoo and motorcycle realm. Former Von Dutch designer Christian Audigier is at it again setting trends, that is.
Audigier was a successful 17-year-old salesman before he started designing at age 19. Since then, he’s designed for Diesel, Levi’s, American Eagle Outfitters, and Von Dutch. He created the trucker hats that stirred a pandemonium of fashion followers – from celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton to the general public.
So, what’s he doing now? Audigier left Von Dutch and bought the designs from Don Ed Hardy, the “Godfather of Tattoo.” The tattoo and motorcycle world is his current project. Instead of being the designer, he is the CEO of a new and fresh clothing line – Ed Hardy.
Q: Please tell us about your experience with Von Dutch, and what the transition was like to Ed Hardy.
A: I was the head designer for Von Dutch. I designed the brand and I was the designer when it became popular. It was my marketing that made it famous. I was the one that put it on celebrities; Madonna was my favorite to dress. I quit Von Dutch, took a break and when I started at Ed Hardy, it’s been wonderful. I left Von Dutch when it was still popular, and I left because I wanted more. I was just an employee. I wanted to be a CEO, the owner, and I wanted my own clothing line. The people at Ed Hardy, I love them, they’re my family. We have a good time together, we work hard, we have good results, and we enjoy ourselves.
Q: What was your inspiration for your Ed Hardy clothing line?
A: In the fall of 2004, I met with Don Ed Hardy, and decided to do some business with him. And I bought the rights for all the signatures and I own them for 10 years. I didn’t do it for 1 year and I didn’t do it for 5. The reason I did it for 10 years was because I knew it was going to stay around. It’s going to last longer than Von Dutch. The people will want this clothing 10 years from now. If you look at Von Dutch, it’s the eyeball and the name – that’s simple. With Ed Hardy, it’s thousands of images. So, every time a season comes, new images, new designs, and new everything; so it’s always new and fresh. You won’t get bored of it.
Q: What is it about the tattoo and motorcycle culture that you wanted to bring into the fashionable world?
A: Tattoo isn’t just for guys, it’s not just for girls, it’s not just for one race of people. Tattoos are for everyone. Tattoo was in Africa thousands of years ago. So, tattoo is universal. Everyone around the world has been decorating their skin. It’s something that has been going on for so long that today, take what we put on our skin and then put that on a shirt. Everyone goes, “Oh, that would be nice,” but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a tattoo. But with a t-shirt, or a jacket, or a hat, or shoes that have images like the tattoo, it’s a safe way to get a tattoo with no pain, and if you change your mind, you can just take it off. See? With a person that puts it on their skin has one tattoo… You, you can have hundreds.
Q: What challenges have you faced in designing or starting the Ed Hardy clothing line?
A: Getting people to accept it. It took a while for people to accept what I’m doing because at first, they through who is this? What’s he doing? But now everyone sees what it is and they embrace it. Everyone loves it. People weren’t used tattoo images on clothing and people didn’t know who I was, but now they do.
Q: What do you think draws celebrities and the public to Ed Hardy?
A: Because it’s stylish and it’s sexy. We do something that other people don’t do. People want to be original. No matter if you’re a celebrity or not, you want to be original. You want to have something on you that makes you feel special. Our clothing makes people feel special.
Q: If you could pick a genre or music that best describes the style of the Ed Hardy clothing line, what would it be?
A: That’s a tricky one. We’re rock and roll, but we’re hip-hop and we’re rap. But you know what? I would say we’re rock and roll and hip-hop, and we’re pop. We dress Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Busta Rymes, Mariah Carey. We’re not one music, we’re clothing for everyone. No matter what you’re into, we’ve got something for you.
Q: What’s the hottest selling Ed Hardy item right now?
A: I’d have to say, the hats, right now, are very popular.
Q: What’s your favorite Ed Hardy design?
A: I like the bulldogs.
Q: Where do you see yourself and Ed Hardy striving for within the next two years?
A: I want to make it a complete lifestyle brand. I want to dress your pet; I want to give you cosmetics; I want to give you shoes – everything that’s part of your life. We hope to be a household brand, dressing more people, and to be something you can wear with your friends and your can wear out. Pretty much clothing for every occasion, but, you know, not for prom or anything.
Q: What is your advice for young people interested in fashion design?
A: My advice? Everybody’s got their own style. Don’t listen to people that tell you, you should design one way or another. Go with what you feel and don’t give up, and just try things. Be creative, be fun, have a good time. Start by interning. You get the experience and if they like you and you work hard while you intern, they’ll hire you as an employee and then from there, the sky’s the limit. You start with very little and you work your way up. You prove yourself.
So there you have it. Audigier is working diligently in making this clothing line expand throughout the States and abroad. The Ed Hardy line already has it own signature custom motorcycle and energy drinks. What‘s next? At this rate, it will become a household brand.
About the Author
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