L.A. Fashion Week Fall '07: Ed Hardy

Christian Audigier clearly likes to make big gestures, and for the March 19 runway show for his Ed Hardy label, Audigier turned the main tent at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios into a circus attraction with a cast of characters that included clowns, a bearded lady, a snake charmer, a couple of geishas and a set of “Siamese twins” joined at the hair by a long braid.

Models wore painted mustaches and carried bubble guns, wearing Ed Hardy’s tattoo-inspired clothing. Denim was embellished with heavy embroidery. Hoodies and jackets were embellished with embroidery and foil printing. A model wore a “full-sleeve” flesh-tone tee printed with Ed Hardy’s tattoo designs. The good-natured loopiness of the show provided Audigier the opportunity to showcase the broad collection, which included tees, hoodies, jeans and leather jackets. One model walked the show with a bandolier filled with Ed Hardy Energy Drink cans.

Audigier said the circus theme was conceived to show the Ed Hardy lifestyle, “the magic circus.”

“I believe my product is good, but more important is the lifestyle,” he said. —Alison A. Nieder