Christian Audigier (French pronunciation: ​[kristiã~ odijie]; born Christian Ginutti, 21 May 1958 – 9 July 2015) was a French fashion designer known for the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch clothing lines.

Early life

Audigier was born Christian Ginutti on 21 May 1958 in Avignon.

Career

Audigier began working in the fashion industry at the age of fifteen. He designed a line of denim that was inspired by his love for rock and roll, specifically The Rolling Stones. His designs became so popular that a top executive from MacKeen Jeans took notice of Audigier's talent, affording him the opportunity to create with the company and travel the world. He moved to New York in his early twenties to expand his own brand. He worked with Guess, Levi's, Diesel, American Outfitters, Fiorucci, Bisou Bisou and XOXO.

He then moved to Los Angeles where he would achieve most of his success as a fashion designer. After the death of artist Kenny Howard, also known as Von Dutch, in 1992, Howard's daughters sold the Von Dutch name to Michael Cassel and Robert Vaughn. The clothing brand that followed gained popularity in the US and attracted the attention of celebrities such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and later Ashton Kutcher and Eric Church. Audigier helped popularize the brand, but left on amicable terms in 2004. He went on to popularize the Ed Hardy brand. Audigier's other brands include SMET with French singer Johnny Hallyday. Audigier's brands are sold internationally in over 40 countries.

In 2008, he joined forces with a small cooperative in France, Montpeyroux Estates, to release a line of fine wines. The bottles are wrapped with labels that are designed with the classic Ed Hardy designs and are done by art director and photographer Barry Sutton.

Audigier was a partner along with Pure Management in a nightclub in the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The nightclub closed in September 2010.

He released a line of Ed Hardy perfumes for men and women.

In 2012, he appeared on an episode of Sweden's Next Top Model.

Family

He had four children.

Health problems and death

Audigier was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone cancer, in January 2015. He died on 9 July 2015 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, after lapsing into a coma. He was 57 years old.