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LASplash.com: New York Events Ed Hardy Soho Store Grand Opening By Luis Antonio (writer/photographer)
49 Mercer Street, in Manhattan's Soho section, was the site for the grand opening of Christian Audigier's newest Ed Hardy shop. Now who and what are Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy? They are perhaps the coolest duo in clothes and pop culture to come along in some time. And the key to their success is a fascination and love for something that can be traced to the second millennium BC.
Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets and talismans, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. This human desire to create marks of signifigance is not now limited to our skins. We can now wear them on tee shirts, jeans, sneakers, and even your motorcycle thanks to the fashion of Christian Audigier.
His unmistakable trademark and charismatic personality make Christian Audigier the man of the moment. But who is this crazy and eccentric French man known as, Le Vif, (the fast one). Christian, in just about two years, has succeeded in taking the fashion industry by storm and making Ed Hardy a household name. This has ultimately led him to becoming the king of the designer T-shirt.
He first received national recognition when he put Von Dutch Originals on the map by using the idea of pinstripe designs, which he developed into an international brand. You could not go anywhere without seeing a T-Shirt or trucker hat worn by celebrities or college kids on the streets of LA, Miami, New York or Paris.
The list of celebrities that have caught the Ed Hardy fashion craze is too long to count, but here are just a few: Madonna, Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton, Leonardo Dicaprio, Kanye West are just a few notables that own something from the Ed Hardy line. As a matter of fact, the walls in the new Soho shop are a testament to the popularity of the fashions, for they are covered with pictures of all the celebrities wearing Ed Hardy. One standout picture is of Madonna with her daughter Lourdes and her newly adopted son from Africa all wearing Ed Hardy tee shirts.
The Soho store's grand opening was something amazing! The opening was an all day event, block party, and carnival to boot! The store-opening, 12-5pm, kick off with a block party on Mercer St. sponsored by P.I.N.K. vodka and The Village Voice. It included carnival games, a DJ, lady circus performances, professional bellydancer Jaklina, and an Ed Hardy fashion influenced peep show. A kissing booth included special guess Amanda Lepore. Break dancers, a surprise performance by Downtown Recording artist Kevin Michael, the Brooklyn Steppers, and free giveaways were all part of the first half of the festivities.
From 6-9pm the in store VIP party continued with a performance by Def Jam recording artist Fabolous, Hot 97's DJ Clue spinning on the one's and two's, an appearance by designer Christian Audigier himself, and a Ed Hardy fashion show featuring the new summer collection. So, if you were not at the Ed Hardy opening, you lost some major cool points that day. However, you now have a chance to get them back by going down to the new Ed Hardy Soho store on Mercer St. and buying some of the hottest gear to hit the streets of New York City in sometime. You can't be cool without it!
To get more info on Ed Hardly go to: http://www.donedhardy.com/ Published Jun 16, 2007 © Copyright 2003-2004 by LA Splash.com |
