Marketing Genuis
If you haven’t been hanging out in a cave, then surely you haven seen an Ed Hardy T-Shirt or two draped around a friend or acquaintance! I am often asked- Who is Ed Hardy? Well, the actual man Don Ed Hardy is the Godfather of Tattooing. Born in 1945 in Southern California he has tattoed most of his life. He and his wife Franscesca lived in Japan while he mastered his craft and have also written over 25 books on alternative art. In 2004 Christian Audigier licensed the rights to produce the high end Ed Hardy line which is based on Hardy’s work. Frenchman Audigier as a designer worked his way through the trenches at the likes of Diesel, Bisou Bisou and Levi and started his meteoric rise at Von Dutch. This label catapulted the truck hat onto the heads of college kids and celebs alike, making it a household name. He left in 2004 to create his own empire. Under the Audigier umbrella falls Ed Hardy, Smet, Crystal Rock, CBAR-A, Paco Chicano and CA. He has become a marketing genius whose name also finds itself shockingly on jewelry, skateboards, wine, water, vodka and even, WOW, a nightclub inside Vegas’s Treasure Island.
Adam Saaks is a designer at Audigier and is most know for his custom couture one of a kind T-Shirts. He travels the country working shows and events to showcase his cut shirts. He has provided shirts for the likes of Mariah Carey, Eva Longoria, Justin Timberlake, Carmen Electra and many many more world famous celebrities. He loves to perform live and give each person an Ed Hardy shirt designed to show off individual assets. I got to experience the thrill of getting my own custom couture shirt and getting up close and personal with Adam Scissorhands himself! His proudest moments are watching people walk away in his shirts, which retail between $700-1000, with couture dresses going into the thousands of dollars. Here is an excerpt from our interview:
- When did you first discover that cutting up shirts this way was your niche?
In 2001, the very first cut into the very first shirt is when I knew I was on to something. It drew a huge crowd of people around me, they were wondering what I was doing and when I finished that first shirt, the applause hit me like an atomic bomb! I was hooked..
- Who or what has been your greatest inspiration?
Metallica. I love their whole attitude and their grass roots success story. it reminds me of my experience I’m going through now.
- What is the funnest part of your job?
The fun-nest thing about my job is looking at my finished creation on the subject and seeing it walk away into the world to become a part of our culture. That’s a pretty cool feeling.
- Who is the coolest person you have ever designed a shirt for?
The coolest? Hard to say, I’ve cut over 7000 custom pieces over the past 7 years and to be honest, not one sticks out to me. I think anyone who gets a shirt by me is cool. It’s a cool experience for everyone, the customer, the audience, and of course myself. It’s just cool!
- How long have you been involved in fashion? Was it a childhood dream or did you fall into it?
I’ve been in fashion for 17 years now, whoa, did I say 17? Its unbelievable to think its been that long and I’m still loving it. I never had a childhood dream, I’ve just always believed in loving whatever I chose to do. That’s really most important..
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
The five year plan? That’s a funny question.. I’m a very in the moment type person and don’t believe in 5 year goals because what you see yourself doing five years from now can sneak up on you in a week. Life is funny like that.
- What is your best advice for aspiring fashion designers?
This is the best advice I can share with aspiring designers. DO WHAT YOU LOVE!!
- What is your wildest "on the job" story?
There are a lot of them but unfortunately I never cut and tell. hehe
- In five words or less, how would your friends describe you?
Some people have A-D-D, my friends say I have A-D-A-M!
