Don Ed Hardy

Don Ed Hardy (born 1945) is an American tattoo artist known for his tattoos, strong influence on the development of modern tattoo styles, and his eponymous apparel and accessories brand.

Hardy was born on January 5, 1945, in Des Moines, Iowa.

He grew up in Corona del Mar, in Newport Beach, California.

As a preteen a young Ed Hardy was interested in tattoos: one of his friends' fathers had Army tattoos, and it intrigued him so much that he took pens and colored pencils to draw on other neighborhood kids.

Hardy also credits his mother, who supported his work and encouraged him to follow his passions.

Hardy had his first art exhibit at the Laguna Beach Art Festival after graduating from high school.

He attended the San Francisco Art Institute and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking.

While there, Hardy learned drawing from Joan Brown, etching from Gordon Cook, and sculpting from Manuel Neri.

He was later offered a full scholarship and graduate position for a Master of Fine Arts program at Yale.

He declined and instead pursued his interest in tattoos.

Hardy was mentored by several famous and prolific tattoo artists, including Samuel Steward (also known by his nickname “Professor” Phil Sparrow), a former college professor.

As a child, Hardy had copied Steward's designs.

Steward showed Hardy a book of Japanese tattoos.

Hardy, who had already been interested in Japanese history, culture and woodblock prints, had an epiphany; he described it as being struck by “lightning.”

After Hardy finished his apprenticeship with Steward, he studied with the tattoo artists Zeke Owen in Seattle and Doc Webb in San Diego.

Eventually Hardy formed a relationship with one of the pioneers of modern tattoo culture, Sailor Jerry Collins, who had a major impact on Hardy's work.

He met with and began a long correspondence with Sailor Jerry, which paved the way for an introduction into a world previously closed off to outsiders.

Through Jerry’s connections, Hardy began an association, in 1973, with the classical tattoo master Horihide.

Hardy studied and tattooed in Japan off and on through the '70s and '80s.

According to Hardy, his clientele at the time included bikers and Yakuza members.

Hardy soon became recognized for being the main influence and driver in incorporating Japanese tattoo aesthetics and techniques into American styles of work.

One of the defining characteristics of Hardy’s work is the elevation of tattoos from flash, preset and preformed tattoos, to customized and personalized work.

Before this, it was very common for individuals, often those in the U.S. Navy, to walk into studios/or the back of other businesses and select artwork off of a wall.

Hardy’s motivations were more aesthetically simple: to focus on one's self-expression, the resulting tattoos reflecting the individual's taste and preferences.

This would be collaborative, done in consultation between tattoo artists and client.

For Hardy this was about customization and personalization, thus the wearer would have an emotional connection.

This fine art mentality helped elevate tattoos from a subculture to pop culture, taking it from fringe culture to main culture.

In 1982, Hardy and his wife Francesca Passalacqua formed Hardy Marks Publications.

Under this marque, they began publishing the five-book series Tattootime.

Hardy Marks has published more than 25 books about alternative art, including catalogs of Hardy's work and that of Sailor Jerry Collins.

EEE Productions (Ed Hardy, Ed Nolte, and Ernie Carafa) put together an influential tattoo convention on the Queen Mary in 1982, as well as organizing many other tattoo conventions and expos.

Hardy's work consisted of a particular 2000's fashion style that carried on to the next generation and is beginning to make a rise in popularity once again.

In 2000, he was appointed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown to the city's Cultural Arts Commission.

In the early 2000s, Hardy licensed Ku USA, Inc. to produce a clothing line based on his artwork.

Hardy and Ku USA formed Hardy Life, now Hardy Way LLC, which owns the Ed Hardy brand and trademarks.

The brand has subsequently been extensively licensed, at one point having 70 sublicensees, selling clothing, accessories, lighters, perfume, hair styling tools, and condoms.

The most famous licensee was Christian Audigier, previously of Von Dutch Originals, which marketed the imagery of Kenny Howard (aka Von Dutch), another noted American subculture artist.

Audigier licensed the worldwide rights to the Ed Hardy brand in 2005 through his holding company, Nervous Tattoo, and employed the marketing techniques employed by Von Dutch Originals, marketing directly to celebrity clients and by opening stores in high-profile fashion districts.

By 2009, Hardy had retired from tattooing.

He owns Tattoo City, a studio in San Francisco.