| By :
Mark Etinger
The man known as Don Ed Hardy is known as a lot of things beyond the Ed Hardy bags. He's a legendary tattoo artist. He's a fashion mogul. He's an author, a printmaker, a painter, and a member of Oakland's Cultural Arts Commission. Born in Corona del Mar in Newport Beach, California, Don Ed Hardy attened the San Francisco Art Institute where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in printmaking. Following his time at the SFAT, Hardy studied under Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, one of California's most well-known tattoo artists at the time. Through this relationship, Hardy was later able to study with a classical Japanese tattoo master named Horihide. Hardy, who has been celebrated for his ability to incorporate Japanese tattoo aesthetics and techniques into his own Ed Hardy apparel, credits his time studying with Hirihide as the cause. Hardy first garnered fame as an American tattoo artist in Southern California, where he became known as "the Godfather of the Modern Tattoo." His fame was as much based on the beauty of his work as much as the sophistication and experimentation. His stunning imagery has garnered him fame not just in Southern California, but around the globe. However, today Hardy focus on his other ventures, like his artwork and Ed Hardy apparel. Officially, he claims to have retired from tattooing, although he doe still oversee and mentor a plethora of the young tattoo artists at "Tattoo City," his own San Francisco studio. Additionally, in the early 1980's Hardy and his wife formed Hardy Marks Publications, which they used to publish a five-book series entitled "Tattootime." The publication company has since published nearly two dozen other books, including tributes and catalogs to the tattoos and artwork pieces of both Hardy and his former teacher Sailor Jerry Collins. Arguably his most famous contribution to the art world isn't his Ed Hardy apparel or designer fashion accessories, but a 500-foot scroll painting he completed in 2000. The scroll features 2,000 dragons, as a means for honoring the new millennium which also happened to be the Year of the Dragon. That being said, it's impossible to mention Hardy without discussing the Ed Hardy apparel. It was two years after his 2,000 dragon scroll that Hardy created Ku USA Inc. to create a clothing line that would feature his artwork. Two years after that, French fashion designer Christian Audigier licensed the rights to the Ed Hardy clothing line as well as the Hardy designer fashion accessories. Using similar marketing techniques to the Von Dutch designer fashion accessories and clothing (the company Audigier had previously been Head of Marketing of), Audigier has turned Ed Hardy apparel into one of the most well-known in the market.
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