Ed Hardy clothing brand as founded by American artist Don Ed Hardy in 2000s. By 2002, the collection had drawn the interest of Saks companies. Hardy and Ku USA formed Hardy Life. In 2004, Christian Audigier, formerly the head designer at Von Dutch Originals, licensed the rights to produce the Ed Hardy clothing line. Audigier is using the marketing techniques employed by Von Dutch Originals. This includes marketing directly to celebrity clients and opening stores in highly visible fashion districts.