ED Hardy Shoes in chlsale.com, Don Ed Hardy is an American tattoo artist raised in Southern California. He was a pupil of Sailor Jerry Collins. Through his association with Sailor Jerry, Hardy was invited to study tattooing in Japan in 1973 with the Japanese classical tattoo master, Horihide. He became recognized for incorporating Japanese tattoo aesthetic and technique into his American style work.
In 2002, Hardy licensed Ku USA, Inc. to produce a line of clothing based on his art. Within two years, the collection had drawn the interest of Saks companies. Hardy and Ku USA formed Hardy Life LLC, which holds the trademark ownership as well as the copyrights to all his images.
In 2004, Christian Audigier licensed the rights to produce the Ed Hardy clothing line, which is based on Hardy’s imagery. Prior to the Ed Hardy clothing line, Audigier was the Head Designer at Von Dutch Originals, which marketed the imagery of Kenny Howard. Audigier has attempted to replicate the marketing techniques employed by Von Dutch Originals, by marketing directly to celebrity clients and by opening stores in high profile fashion districts. Ed Hardy stores are located in many locations internationally including the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
In May 2009, Iconix Brand Group, Inc. announced that the Company has acquired a 50% interest in Hardy Way, LLC, the owner of the Ed Hardy brand and trademarks. The Company paid $17 million for its interest in Hardy Way, consisting of $9 million in cash and $8 million in stock. In addition, the sellers could be entitled to receive an additional $1 million in stock pursuant to an earn-out based on 2009 royalties received by Hardy Way. Hardy Way estimates that 2009 royalty revenue will be approximately £10 million
In 1982, Hardy and his wife formed Hardy Apero Marks Publications. Under this marque, they began publishing the five-book series Tattootime. Tattootime was one of several publications which did much to promote and popularize tattooing with new audiences.[citation needed] Hardy Marks has gone on to publish more than 20 books[quantify], including catalogs of Hardy’s work and that of Sailor Jerry Collins
