This was definitely one of the most exciting collaborations I have done until this day. Being a fan of tattoo art myself, it was with great pleasure I took on this challenge. Having had experience with the whole Ed Hardy craze, it was with great relief that I was asked to "stay away" from the expected overthetop, in your face super bright prints Ed Hardy had saturated the market with. Ami who had just been asked to lead the upcoming "New York Ink" Show on TLC saw an opportunity for branding his name and started his own clothing company, guided by the denim guru of LA Israel Turgeman. I liked the idea of telling a story, but as Ami had little if no library of tattoos available at the time (most of his work from the past belonged to the network) the little iconic drawings he had weren't enough to create anything too exciting. I began to look into the history of tattoos and stumbled acros some amazing imagery from "circus freaks" of the 1920s. This theme blended brilliantly with the denim designer's vintage rugged look of the line and created the most successful delivery of the brand til this day. I was also asked to guide the future licensees in to maintain the image consistent acros its merchandise, adding casual footwear, watches, hats, and car accessories.
