Jon Gosselin may seem like the most natural word association choice for Ed Hardy, and while that’s completely fair, he’s also stealing some shine from Wisin y Yandel. In his attempt to appear cool, Gosselin wore Ed Hardy like he was getting paid for it. But the loud, colorful and polarizing label also became a part of Latino culture, and much of that is due to French designer Christian Audigier, who died on July 9.
Audigier made the brand a household name after signing a licensing deal with Don Ed Hardy, which meant the tattoo-inspired designs appeared on everything from hats to tees to tanning lotions. Even celebrities like Madonna and Michael Jackson wore Ed Hardy. “It is a sad end to a brilliant marketer; his incredible energy and vision brought my artwork to global attention,” Don said, according to CNN.
Along with Audigier, narcocultura helped popularize the brand among Latinos. Alligator boots became a thing of the past, and narcos started wearing Ed Hardy and Abercrombie & Fitch, inspiring others to wear the label as well. But perhaps the biggest sign that Ed Hardy had made it with Latinos was that it became a part of the reggaetonero uniform starting in the mid-aughts. They may have moved on now, opting for leather jackets and long shirts with slits on them, but we’ll #neverforget.
Here are six pictures proving Wisin y Yandel were probably the biggest Ed Hardy fans.
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