At Melrose, our customers are always searching for the latest fashion trends. We're excited to incorporate Ed Hardy's unique designs into our collection. Ed Hardy is a renowned brand known for its unique tattoo-inspired designs. With early 2000s fashion pieces like baby tees, wide-leg flare jeans, and loose tailoring currently a trending staple, Ed Hardy fits into the Y2K subculture boom. Read more below about Don Ed Hardy, his brand, work, and the styles we created with bootcut jeans, cargo pants, and a parachute skirt using Ed Hardy short-sleeved crop tops we have available in store.
A Brief History of Don Ed Hardy
American tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy was born in Southern California in 1945. As a boy, he practiced "tattooing" with pens and colored pencils and worked up to his first art exhibition at the Laguna Beach Art Festival after graduating high school. In his early career development, he became a protégés of Norman 'Sailor Jerry' Collins and studied in Japan under Horihide, working with clients that were part of the yakuza. Hardy had a fine art education and utilized his formal knowledge of the arts and his training from legendary masters to distinguish himself and establish his unique aesthetic, combining traditional Japanese art and traditional American sailor tattoos, finessed with his fine art technical skills. Imagery that initially inspired him were hot-rods, cars, and surf culture. He is credited for making tattoos a fine art form and a way of self-expression with the intent of creating custom tattoos instead of focusing on flash. Hardy opened his tattoo shop, Tattoo City, in San Fransico in 1977 and established his clothing brand with French businessman Christian Audigier. Hardy does not tattoo any longer. However, he is dedicated to the art of painting. One of his most famous works is the 4x500 foot painting 2000 Dragons. His last exhibition was in 2019 at the Herbst Exhibition Galleries titled Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin. His most recent work is his prints created in 2020.
Melrose Ed Hardy Outfits
We were so excited to receive the Ed Hardy clothing brand that we got creative with our outfit combinations. Each look has a different vibe and fits a distinct fashion personality. With Hardy's legacy of self-expression, we align our creativity with the same idea.
The first look features our "Ed Hardy" Short Sleeve Brown Cherry Wings Crop Top with the "Rebel" 32" Bootcut Butterfly Rhinestone Dark Wash Denim Jeans and silver "Forever" 3" Thick Heeled Rhinestone Booties. This gorgeous combination of looks illustrates a dark hue story with brown and matching blues. The highlight in the top, pant stitching, rhinestone back pockets, and booties create a simple kind of rebel rock n' roll aesthetic mixed with a bit of feminine diva energy. Take this look to a concert or a night out.
For a different, edgy, and street-inspired look, we have the "Ed Hardy" Short Sleeve Red Love Bird Cherry Crop Top, "AF" Skinny Pull-on Camo Cargo Pants, and the white "Top" Platform Athletic Sneakers. We wanted to experiment with red as a bold color choice and mix it with a maximalist print. It's loud in presentation, but it makes a statement in the best of ways; every piece is super comfortable. This is a casual look with an elevated sense of coordination.
The final outfit is minimalist in color combination but has the unique "Love Tree" Parachute Skirt piece to keep it interesting. Pair with the skirt, the "Ed Hardy" Short Sleeve Black Rose Heart Tattoo Crop Top, and the black and white "Forever" Pleather Multi-Colored Sneakers.
