Ed Hardy a Sellout?

    Ed Hardy is a widely popular individual who gained his fame not only through his tattooing artwork, but also by creating a fashionable clothing brand. Many people might recognize Ed Hardy as a very proficient and skillful tattoo artist, while other could recognize him by the fashionable products that he designs and sells. He named his brand after him, Ed Hardy, and it gained a lot of popularity throughout the years. Hardy creates the designs that go into his clothing, and is made with quality materials, which is why his clothing is sort of expensive.

There are some people that see him as a very talented tattoo artists, but hate the fact that he uses his popularity to create products and sell them to fans, or as how many people call it, a sellout. People who would consider him a sellout might think that he is taking advantage of his popularity and success as a tattoo artist to promote his clothing brand and persuade many of his fans to purchase his products. However, from my perspective and I hope I’m not alone, I do not think Ed Hardy is wrong to go into the fashion industry and create cool designs that many of his fans would think its worth spending money on. His brand is quite popular and if many people are willing to purchase his products, then I don’t see anything wrong. He earned his way to his popularity, and was privileged to learn from Sailor Jerry himself. We discussed in class that Hardy had a stand when he was a young child, very similar to a lemonade stand, except this stand was for tattoos. If he wanted to start drawing and designing at such as young age, then his commitment and desire on the industry should not come into doubt. With the amount of knowledge, experience, and teachings he has contributed to the tattoo industry, I think Hardy has earned the privilege to generate money either as a tattoo artist or by having his own clothing brand.