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Ed Hardy Founder, Designer
Christian Audigier, who died of cancer last week at 57, never took a low-key approach to his personal life or business affairs.
The French entrepreneur, who jolted the U.S. fashion industry with his showmanship as much as his trendy Ed Hardy T-shirts and Von Dutch trucker hats, was described by those who knew him as sweet as well as a show-off.
After working on denim lines for American Eagle and Bisou Bisou and crowning Von Dutch trucker hats on everyone from Justin Timberlake to Paris Hilton, Audigier launched the tattoo-inspired brand Ed Hardy in 2004. Three years later, he staged a fashion show at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles with the Crenshaw High School band playing marching tunes while donning Ed Hardy trucker hats. A year after that, following a public split with the organizers of the Project trade show in Las Vegas, Audigier launched his own expo titled, "When I Move You Move."
In 2008, Audigier reported that Ed Hardy's annual sales had climbed to $250 million. When the momentum for his business began to wane, he sought buyers for his company, which by that time encompassed 10 brands, including his namesake label and Ed Hardy, at a price tag of more than $700 million. In 2011, Iconix acquired the worldwide master license for the Ed Hardy brand for $55 million, plus a $7 million earn-out, following its 2009 purchase of half of the company that owned the Ed Hardy trademarks for $17 million.
"He gets credit for giving our industry a real kick in the ass when we needed it," said Fred Levine, co-owner of the nine-door specialty chain M. Fredric. "With Von Dutch and...