Christian Audigier: Street Couture

Christian Audigier is the man responsible for making a t-shirt and a pair of jeans look cool again. He got his start in fashion by working back home as a salesman in a boutique in Avignon, France. He launched a marketing plan influenced by the Wild West that significantly increased sales.  This caught the attention of executives at Mackeen Jeans.  They hired Audigier as a designer; who was only fifteen years old at the time. His new job led to freelance work for other labels such as Diesel, Elio Fiorruci, Bisou Bisou, and Levis. As a result he was dubbed the “King of Jeans.”

However, the designer didn’t make his stamp on fashion in America until his partnership with Von Dutch Originals. He heavily promoted the brand with guerilla marketing techniques. He made trucker hats the hottest trend of the time by strategically placing paparazzi outside his store to take photos of celebs such as Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake wearing his designs. Christian put Von Dutch on the map, thus paving the way for his next great enterprise.

In 2004, Audigier created the Ed Hardy brand, by designing apparel that used tattoo art created by Don Ed Hardy. “He was someone that I admired and that I wanted to work with. We met, we liked each other and we decided to do business together. After all, it is a two-way street. I make him famous and he makes money with me and everyone is happy,” says Audigier in an interview apparelsearch.com. He was granted the exclusive rights to the designs of the tattoo artist who is commonly referred to as the “Godfather of Tattoo.” The designer  wanted  tattoos incorporated in his line because of the commitment people are willing to give when getting tattoos. He also sees tattoos as art and considers them to be personal, significant, and vibrant. The brand started with t-shirts, hoodies and caps, but expanded to other products which included denim, knits, fragrance, bags and shoes because of his unique approach to marketing and licensing.  His approach to licensing elevated the brand, but also created a new licensing template for fashion companies to follow in the future.

The Von Dutch and Ed Hardy brands are unique in their own right, but also have several similarities. Both of the brands are luxury street wear clothing lines. Also the same extravagant marketing techniques were used for both. As for the differences, Von Dutch was heavily based around the logo. Every article of clothing has Von Dutch plastered on it.  Ed Hardy on the other hand focused on hand drawn artwork from the Tattoo Artist Ed Hardy himself.

Currently, Christian  has a self-titled line that encompasses the best of the previous lines that he has developed. The clothing features bold print tees, well-structured jeans and classic button-up shirts. There is something for everyone:.  Audigier is living the American dream. He started from the ground up and built a multi-million dollar company. His various brands can be bought through wholesale distribution and retail stores worldwide.

For more information: christianaudigier.com

-Deja Cromartie