Ed Hardy was a popular tattoo artist for 40 years. Also known as the godfather of modern tattoo, Don unique style of incorporating American, Japanese, Cholo, surf and hotrod iconography into his artwork made him a legend in the tattoo world.

In the 1980s, Don Ed Hardy ventured into other forms of art, including drawing, painting, and paint-making. He has also contributed to number of exhibits in galleries and universities. Because of his contributions to the art world, he was given an Honorary Doctorate by the San Francisco Art Institute.

In 2002, Ku USA Inc. contacted Ed Hardy to create a line of clothing based on his artworks. When he ventured into designing apparel, he continued to make unique and eye-catching clothes to the masses. In a span of two years, his collection drew attention from a variety of retailers like high-end department store Saks Fifth Avenue. The Ed Hardy collection drew a lot of position reactions and because of that Hardy and Ku USA decided to create Hardy Life LLC.