Born and raised in California, Don Ed Hardy, now 65-years-old, has created one of the most artistic, unique brands that is now recognized worldwide. Hardy began his artistic career by achieving a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking and then furthered his education by going to Japan to study tattoo artistry with Horihide, a Japanese classical tattoo master. This is when Hardy began adding ancient Japanese art into his more modern style of art. After showing his artwork in hundreds of galleries and museums worldwide as well as having his own tattoo parlour called Tattoo City, Hardy was given the title as "godfather of the modern tattoo."

As his reputation was rapidly growing, Hardy and his wife created Hardy Marks Publications in 1982 which allowed him to expose his artwork, as well as that of other artists' in various catalogues and books called TattooTime. Hardy was quickly becoming one of the most respected modern artists of that time and was later appointed to the Oakland's Cultural Arts Commission.

It was in 2002 when the Ed Hardy brand began to skyrocket and was on its way to becoming one of the world's renowned clothing lines. Hardy licensed all of his artwork and designs to Ku USA Inc. so they could produce a line of clothing with his imagery. It only took two years for other large companies such as Saks to draw a huge interest in Hardy's artwork and clothing line. It was then when Hardy formed Hardy Life LLC, which now holds the trademark ownership as well as the copyrights to all of Hardy's works of art.

Two years after the clothing line was created, Christian Audigier, a French fashion designer who is known as the "king of jeans" for his distinctive designs that are featured on denim brands such as Diesel, Levi's and American Outfitters, licensed the rights to produce a clothing line with Ed Hardy's imagery. Audigier began by marketing the clothing line to upscale celebrities such as Madonna, Britney Spears and Kanye West and in the major fashion districts of the world such as New York, Los Angeles and Mumbai. It was after that, the brand exploded into fame and fortune with many celebrity followers as well as demand from the general public.

Today it is almost impossible to go into a store without seeing some article of clothing, accessory, furniture or other paraphernalia with Ed Hardy's designs on them. Once a very exclusive brand, it was in 2010 when Ed Hardy products could be purchased from about anywhere like Shoppers Drug Mart, the Dollar Store and even here at our own Fanshawe Clothing Store! Although the original clothing line remains a highlypriced item, everyone is able to afford some sort of Ed Hardy item whether it is a lighter, bottle of vodka or perfume.

For someone who simply started as a tattoo artist, Ed Hardy has turned into one of the most creative and reputable brands known to the fashion industry. Even though Hardy has retired from his tattoo artistry, his artwork and creations continue to be shared and recognized across the world.