Ed Hardy (brand)

Last updated

Ed Hardy is an American fashion brand based on the work of American tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. It is owned by Iconix Brand Group, while Don Ed Hardy retains a 15% minority stake.

Contents

History

2008 Ed Hardy brand shoe Ed Hardy running shoe 2008.jpg
2008 Ed Hardy brand shoe
Ed Hardy swimsuit Joanna Krupa in Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, Photographed by Ed Kavishe for fashion wire press.jpg
Ed Hardy swimsuit

In the early 2000s, Hardy licensed Ku USA, Inc. to produce a clothing line based on his artwork. [1] Hardy and Ku USA formed Hardy Life, now Hardy Way LLC, [2] which owns the Ed Hardy brand and trademarks. [3] [4] The brand has subsequently been extensively licensed, at one point having 70 sublicensees, [5] selling clothing, accessories, lighters, perfume, hair styling tools, [6] [7] [8] and condoms. [9]

Models on the runway for Ed Hardy Fashion show during Los Angeles Fashion Week in 2008 Ed Hardy Runway Models.jpg
Models on the runway for Ed Hardy Fashion show during Los Angeles Fashion Week in 2008

The most famous licensee was Christian Audigier, previously of Von Dutch Originals, which marketed the imagery of Kenny Howard (aka Von Dutch), another noted American subculture artist. Audigier licensed the worldwide rights to the Ed Hardy brand in 2005 through his holding company, Nervous Tattoo, and employed the marketing techniques employed by Von Dutch Originals, marketing directly to celebrity clients and by opening stores in high-profile fashion districts. Ed Hardy stores were located in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Honolulu, Scottsdale, Tucson, Vancouver, Dubai, Johannesburg, Kuwait, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Gurgaon, Delhi, Mumbai, and Qatar.

The face of the brand (from 2008) was Sarah Larson. [10] The brand gained significant popularity under Audigier, peaking at more than $700 million in gross revenue in 2009, [5] but collapsed quickly in the following two years, leading to the closure of many stores. Among others, the Australian sublicensee of Ed Hardy (owned and operated by Gary Berman) entered administration and closed in 2010. [11]

Hardy blamed the collapse on creative and marketing decisions by Audigier, such as Audigier featuring his own name prominently on branded items (on one item 14 times, compared to Hardy's once), and prominent association with short-lived reality TV celebrity Jon Gosselin. Following legal battles, Hardy regained control of the brand in 2010, though as part of the settlement Nervous remained a licensee for T-shirts, hats, and hoodies. [3] [4]

In May 2009, Iconix Brand Group announced it had acquired a 50 percent interest in Hardy Way, LLC, the owner of the Ed Hardy brand and trademarks, [12] which it increased to 85% in 2011. Hardy retains a 15% minority stake. [3]

In 2018, the brand successfully relaunched in Europe, and collaborations were presented with Missguided and Illustrated People amongst other brands, the latter sold via Selfridges, Asos and Topshop. In 2019, the brand had collaboration with Rose In Good Faith. [13]

In LA in 2024, Ed Hardy held its first fashion show. [14]

Related Research Articles

Sean John is a privately held fashion lifestyle company created by music mogul Sean Combs. The line made its fashion debut with a men's sportswear collection for the spring 1998 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocawear</span> Clothing brand

Rocawear is an American clothing brand founded in 1999 by Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders Damon Dash and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. The brand has had annual sales of $700 million. Rocawear expanded through licensing to sell affordable clothes for children and juniors; socks and sandals; leather, suede, and fur outerwear; handbags and belts; lounge wear; big and tall; headwear; jewelry; and sunglasses; as well as co-branded product with Pro-Keds, State Property, and Team Roc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Von Dutch</span> American fashion brand founded 1999

Von Dutch is an American multinational fashion brand posthumously named after Kenny Howard, a.k.a. "Von Dutch", an American artist and pinstriper of the Kustom Kulture movement. After Howard's death in 1992, his daughters allowed Ed Boswell to produce items using the Von Dutch trademark logo. The trademark rights were sold in 1996 to Mike Cassell who, with Robert Vaughn, used the logo for an apparel line named Von Dutch Originals. French designer Christian Audigier helped popularize the brand in the early 2000s. Von Dutch was repurchased in 2009 by Groupe Royer S.A., through its Luxembourg subsidiary Royer brands International S.a.r.l. In 2024, WSG purchased the global rights from Groupe Royer S.A. and plans to continue the journey of bringing Von Dutch back in a compelling way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umbro</span> British multinational athletic equipment company

Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their Double Diamond logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 countries.

Yakira, L.L.C. is an American urban fashion company founded by Marc Ecko in 1993. The company makes apparel and accessories under the brands Ecko Unltd. line for men and the Ecko Red line for girls and women. It is headquartered in New York City. The company's products gained public attention in the late 1990s; they were originally associated with hip-hop and skate culture and moved into mainstream urban culture in the early 2000s. It is most often associated with hip-hop. The style is based on graffiti art. Its brand features a rhino as its logo. Rap artist MC Serch of 3rd Bass assisted with marketing in the early years of the company.

Sharper Image is an American brand that offers consumers home electronics, air purifiers, gifts, and other lifestyle products through its website, catalog, and third-party retailers. The brand is owned by ThreeSixty Group, with the U.S. catalog and website owned and operated by Michigan-based Camelot Venture Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Pacific</span> American sportsware company

Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. is a clothing company based in Irvine, California, United States. It produces T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, shoes and beverage mugs.

Forever 21 is a multinational fast-fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984, it is currently operated by Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, with about 540 outlets.

The fashions of the 2000s were often described as a global mash up, where trends saw the fusion of vintage styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes, followed by the retro-inspired indie look later in the decade.

Badgley Mischka is an American fashion label designed by Mark Badgley and James Mischka. Their collections are said to be largely influenced by the style of the glamour of 1940s Hollywood while remaining simple and streamlined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pony (brand)</span> American footwear and clothing brand

PONY is an American brand of footwear and clothing headquartered in New York City under the company name PONY International. It was acquired by Iconix Brand Group in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billionaire Boys Club (clothing retailer)</span> American and Japanese clothing retailer established by Pharrell Williams, Rob Walker and Nigo

Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) is an American fashion label based in New York City founded by Pharrell Williams and Nigo in 2003. Its sublabels include Ice Cream, Bee Line and Billionaire Girls Club.

Iconix Brand Group, Inc. is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers, primarily in the apparel, footwear and apparel accessory industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JD Sports</span> British sports-fashion retail company

JD Sports Fashion plc, commonly known as JD Sports, JD or JD Group is a British multinational sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The Pentland Group owns 55% of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Ed Hardy</span> American tattoo artist (born 1945)

Don Ed Hardy is an American tattoo artist known for his tattoos, strong influence on the development of modern tattoo styles, and his eponymous brand.

Tonny Sorensen, born March 9, 1964, is a Danish entrepreneur and creative director best known for his commercialization of the California clothing brand Von Dutch Originals. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Planet illogica, an online creative community for artists and art organizations. and California Christiania Republic clothing brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Audigier</span> French fashion designer (1958–2015)

Christian Audigier was a French fashion designer known for the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch clothing lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starter (clothing line)</span> American clothing manufacturer

Starter, Inc. is an American clothing manufacturer, focusing on major league sports teams. Starter's current licenses include MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL teams. Non-sports agreements include a partnership with Coca-Cola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truth or Dare by Madonna</span> American lifestyle brand by Madonna

Truth or Dare by Madonna was a lifestyle brand by American singer Madonna. It was the second enterprise from MG Icon LLC, a joint venture between Madonna, her manager Guy Oseary and Iconix Brand Group. This is the second brand from the venture after Material Girl, which is a fashion line designed by Madonna and her daughter Lourdes and launched in 2010. Initially the line launched with handbags, footwear, accessories, intimates and fragrances.

EziBuy is a New Zealand and Australian multi-channel retailer. It sells clothing, homeware and gifts through a multi-channel model in both countries.

References

  1. ↑ Alabi, Mo (September 30, 2013). "Ed Hardy: From art to infamy and back again". CNN . Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ Barajas, Erin (May 8, 2009). "Iconix Buys Half of Ed Hardy Brand". California Apparel News. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  3. 1 2 3 "Iconix buys global rights, ups stake in Ed Hardy brand". Reuters. 27 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Ed Hardy(R) Settlement Agreement Reached Between Nervous Tattoo, Inc. and Hardy Way, LLC". Bloomberg News .
  5. 1 2 Fleming, Kirsten (June 16, 2013). "That inking feeling". New York Post .
  6. ↑ "IGP Beauty, Inc. Secures Celebrity Hair Care Lines". May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Ed Hardy". IGP Beauty website. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  8. ↑ Meier, Allison (August 2, 2019). "Ed Hardy Changed Tattooing Forever". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ Juli Weiner (May 26, 2010). "Ed Hardy, Terrible Clothing Company Popular with Terrible People, Introduces Line of Condoms". Vanity Fair .
  10. ↑ Norm Clark (June 15, 2008). "Larson the face of new clothing line". Review Journal. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  11. ↑ Ben Butler (August 12, 2010). "Ed Hardy clothing goes into administration". Business Today. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  12. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Nivedita (2009-05-05). "UPDATE 1-Iconix Q1 tops market; buys 50 pct in Hardy Way". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  13. ↑ Li, Nicolaus (8 February 2019). "ROSE IN GOOD FAITH Brings Ed Hardy Back with a Bedazzled Capsule". Hypebeast. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  14. ↑ Greene, Jenna (November 15, 2024). "Ed Hardy Holds Fashion Show in LA". Women's Wear Daily.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.