BP5: Dread Hardy…

Hello, my biotches! It was quite the expedition reflecting on the trucker hat trend of yesteryear for my last blog post. Does that mean that after having such a pleasurable writing experience that I am a fan of that trend? Mmm, say it with me, y’all. N-O.

Enough about last week, this week’s 2000’s trend? Drumroll please….. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….. Ed Hardy.

Easy, tiger! This photo exudes, exerts, and exhibits pure douchebaggery in its fullest form. Peep the sideways trucker hat (having PTSD flashbacks to my last post), the front windshield-style shades, and puckered lips. The signs are all there. So, who is this Ed Hardy fellow and why has he forced these designs on our aching pupils? Well, it’s actually Donald Edward Hardy, thank you very much. Hardy began his career as an amateur tattoo artist in Newport Beach, California, adding colorful ink patterns to his neighborhood friends’ various body parts. Opening his own tattoo studio in San Francisco back in 1977, it was not until 2003 that his signature art style appeared on clothing, specifically on shirts made by the casual wear brand, Ku USA.

However, it was not until the French fashion designer Christian Audigier acquired the licensing to Hardy’s work that the brand achieved icon status. Oui oui, indeed. This move caught the fashion-hungry eyes of various celebrities, such as my queen Britney Spears, Madonna, Lil’ Wayne and others, beginning in around 2005. Wanna hear somethin’ crazy? Audigier was also part of Von Dutch, the trucker hat company from last week’s post. Is the simulation glitching or is this man involved with everything 2000’s? A question for a later time.

Surprise, surprise, Kim Kardashian is wearing a hot, new fashion trend, hmm. Let’s “keep up” with her and other peeps rockin’ it, as well.

I guess basically the entire High School Musical cast had an obsession with Mr. Ed. Hey, they’re all in this together. Ryan and Taylor tho, get up to speed, y’all stuck to the status quo. Also, the penultimate (ayeeee…. inside joke) picture is exactly why GTL (gym, tan, laundry) should not include “tan.” Jersey Shore cast members in 2009, did you hear me too?

The Ed Hardy brand eventually peaked in 2009, both the last year of the 2000’s and the year that my 11-year-old ass discovered that there are other hairstyles besides the bowl cut. As you can see, a very eventful year. By the first year of the 2010’s, the brand had basically faded out of mainstream consciousness and Ed Hardy was put-to-Bed-Hardy.

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The time has come… Should Ed Hardy make a comeback in the ’20s?

While I must admit that these designs are full of color (and boy, do I mean full) and pizzazz, they just scream tacky with a capital tack. There is just too much going on at once. A mega cluster-fuck, if you will.

You can’t just take my word for it! “Bruh,” my friend uttered. “Please don’t.” Hmm, so I am sensing that is a no on the comeback, then.

This is where I must pay my respects to Ed Hardy’s Christian Audigier, who sadly passed away back in 2015 after losing his battle with cancer. One can never deny the legacy that he left behind on fashion. Rest in peace.

As always, thank you all for reading! See y’all next time, homeskillits.

SOURCES:

• Alabi, Mo. “Ed Hardy: From art to infamy and back again.” CNN, 30 September 2013.
• Respers France, Lisa. “Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier dies at 57.” CNN, 11 July 2015.
• Stopera, Matt. “Was May 21, 2005, The Darkest Day In Fashion History?” Buzzfeed, 15 September 2015.
• Tadros, Edmund. “Cult fashion label Ed Hardy collapsed owing $15 million.” The Advertiser, 16 September 2010.