In the late 2000s, Ed Hardy’s master licensee Christian Audigier chose to cash in on the brand’s celebrity heat through dozens of sublicenses across ever more product categories, and when Hardy’s side challenged the accessories, the reported settlement folded them into the contract instead of cutting them.

Plan B: License with a ceiling, the way Burberry did from 2006: a fixed set of categories where the art was the product, central design approval, buybacks or refusals of fringe licenses, and the 2009 dispute used to shrink the brand’s footprint rather than price its expansion.

Plan B Files tells what happened to a company, the one decision that turned the story, and the realistic alternative, with the evidence behind it.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open
0:43 Made for skin
2:37 Everything, everywhere
4:38 The licensing machine
6:52 Overexposure
9:14 A ceiling
12:17 Write the limits first
13:05 Wrap-up

SOURCES
[1] TIME / Entertainment Weekly, 2015-07-10: time.com/3954078/ed-hardy-christian-audigier-obituary
[2] LAist / KPCC Take Two, 2013-07-02: laist.com/shows/take-two/tattoo-legend-ed-hardy-inks-his-life-story-in-wear-your-dreams
[3] NSS Magazine, 2021-12-23: nssmag.com/en/fashion/28482/ed-hardy
[4] The Austin Chronicle, 2009-11-06: austinchronicle.com/columns/after-a-fashion-11746162/
[5] U.S. SEC (EDGAR), 2009-05: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000857737/000114420409024957/v148404_8k.htm
[6] U.S. SEC (EDGAR), 2010: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000857737/000114420410010445/v175724_10k.htm
[7] U.S. SEC (EDGAR), 2011-04-29: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000857737/000114420411025045/v220191_8k.htm
[8] PR Newswire (Iconix press release), 2011-04-27: prnewswire.com/news-releases/iconix-brand-group-inc-announces-acquisition-of-worldwide-rights-to-the-ed-hardy-brand-120767869.html
[9] PR Newswire (Nervous Tattoo press release), 2011-04-29: prnewswire.com/news-releases/christian-audigier-through-his-holding-nervous-tattoo-inc-sold-the-rights-to-the-master-license-of-ed-hardy-to-iconix-brand-group-120991449.html
[10] U.S. SEC (EDGAR), 2019: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/857737/000156459019009857/icon-10k_20181231.htm
[11] Nylon, 2021-07-21: nylon.com/fashion/ed-hardy-comeback-2021
[12] Knowledge at Wharton, 2008-11-20: knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/checked-growth-how-burberrys-angela-ahrendts-is-steering-the-company-through-a-volatile-economy/
[13] The Globe and Mail, 2015-09-29: theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/how-burberry-mended-its-checkered-reputation/article26558669/
[14] Wikipedia, 2026: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Hardy_(brand)

PHOTO CREDITS (Wikimedia Commons)
Ed Hardy running shoe 2008 / karindalziel / CC BY 2.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ed_Hardy_running_shoe_2008.jpg
Italian-tattoo-artist-at-work / Technopop.tattoo / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italian-tattoo-artist-at-work.jpg
Tattoo artist Keith Killingsworth / Ta2man / Public domain / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tattoo_artist_Keith_Killingsworth.JPG
Female tattoo artist at work / Miguel Discart / CC BY-SA 2.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Female_tattoo_artist_at_work.jpg
Loro Parque Koi3 / Eistreter / CC BY-SA 3.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loro_Parque_Koi3.JPG
Burberry Oslo / Ssu / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burberry_Oslo.jpg
Camp – Notes on Fashion at the Met – Burberry rainbow cape (73854) / Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camp_-_Notes_on_Fashion_at_the_Met_-_Burberry_rainbow_cape_(73854).jpg
Entrance in Torp shopping mall, Uddevalla / W.carter / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Entrance_in_Torp_shopping_mall,_Uddevalla.jpg
Melbourne Old Post Office (Shopping Mall Interior) / Donaldytong / CC BY-SA 3.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melbourne_Old_Post_Office_(Shopping_Mall_Interior).jpg
Macy’s Herald Square August 2017 03 / Arild Vågen / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macy%27s_Herald_Square_August_2017_03.jpg
Sephora Store (14606936859) / Mike Mozart / CC BY 2.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sephora_Store_(14606936859).jpg
Urban Outfitters, Brussels, 2026 / Bdx / CC0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Urban_Outfitters,_Brussels,_2026.jpg
Urban Outfitters Store – Waikiki (49539057093) / Tony Webster / CC BY 2.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Urban_Outfitters_Store_-_Waikiki_(49539057093).jpg
Interior sports clothing store Cala Millor / Steffen Mokosch / CC BY-SA 4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_sports_clothing_store_Cala_Millor.jpg

Charts and graphics: Plan B Files, based on the sources above. Some quotes are paraphrased and attributed.
Narration: AI voice (ElevenLabs). Script researched and edited by a human.

source

Dr. Samuel J. Carter, one of Erie’s early physicians, created his little liver pills right here in Erie at 21 North Park Row. ©2026 …

source

Un día antes decía que no renunciaría, que esperaría “a que las cosas se enfríen”. Horas después, algo dramático debió suceder para que Guadalupe Taddei diera completa reversa a su dicho y presentara, ante el Congreso, su carta de renuncia como Consejera Presidenta del Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE).

👉La opinión de Ramón Alberto Garza en #QueAlguienMeExplique:

📍https://codm.info/4iEnFoe

¡Síguenos en todas nuestras redes sociales!
FACEBOOK ➡ https://bit.ly/facebookmagentamx
INSTAGRAM ➡ bit.ly/instagrammagenta
TWITTER ➡ bit.ly/twittermagenta

source

ABOUT RIDE
And just like that… your favorite besties & tastemakers Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone are baaaack. Join them every Wednesday on your way to Sephora to hear their witty, ridiculous, and irreverent (jk) musings on life, the universe, existence, and what they currently ride for. If you’ve longed to hear two absolute bimbos talk about looping, Schrödinger’s cat, being a lizard, and SO much more, you’re gonna absolutely live/die for this podcast. You might even… dare we say… ride for it. Trends, cultural moments that altered the direction of their lives, and even the film Mother!… NOTHING is off limits. WE RIDE AT DAWN!!

For more Ride, follow along at:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ridethepod/
https://www.instagram.com/bennydrama7/
https://www.instagram.com/marybethbarone/

TikTok:

@ridethepod

@bennydrama7

@marybethbarone

Produced by Dear Media.

Follow Dear Media:
Listen: https://dearmedia.com/shows/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearmediastudio/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearmedia
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-media

ABOUT DEAR MEDIA
Dear Media is the largest podcast network focused on amplifying women’s voices and audiences. Founded in 2018, DM hosts 80+ podcasts fronted by top-tier talent and has a following of more than 60M across social channels. DM is building the podcast incubator of the future through a 360-degree business model, providing unparalleled support from concept to editorial, production, distribution, and commerce extensions. Due to its highly engaged and vast consumer audience, the network attracts global brands and digital savvy partners.

source

The closer we get to 2027, the harder it becomes to separate meaningful industry change from noise.

In this episode of the Ace Alliance Podcast, Alexandra Kavelich from SOFTSWISS joins us to discuss the 2027 iGaming Trends Report by SOFTSWISS and the research behind it. We talk about how the team identifies real signals, which developments deserve more attention, and where operators should be focusing next.

Key takeaways:
📊 How SOFTSWISS separates lasting developments from short-term hype
🤖 Where AI could have the biggest practical impact on operators
📈 What prediction markets could mean for regulated iGaming
💡 Why responsible practices are becoming a bigger strategic topic
🔎 Which findings challenged common assumptions about the industry
🎯 What operators should be thinking about as they prepare for 2027

📅 Join us live on October 14 at 11:00 AM on LinkedIn and YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by SOFTSWISS.

source