What do Madonna and Britney Spears have in common? Unfortunately there isn't another gay scandal in Hollywood, but there is a fashion one. In the past few years a brand new line has been coveted by these celebrities and many others. It isn't a new line from Burberry, Fendi, or Gucci. It's a brand new line by Christian Audigier, and that line is Ed Hardy clothing.

Ed Hardy clothing was inspired by the man who also gave the line its name, the legendary tattoo artist, Don Ed Hardy. Known as "the godfather of modern tattoo" in many tattoo circles, Hardy's blend of Japanese and American styles is highly sought after around the world.

Christian Audigier, who had previously designed lines for brands such as Urban Outfitters, Diesel and Von Dutch, saw a great opportunity in Hardy's work. He approached Hardy in 2004 with an idea for a clothing line based around his art and tattoo work. Hardy granted Audigier a license to use his work, and Ed Hardy clothing was born.

Although the Ed Hardy range has become a hit across the globe, it has taken hold in Hollywood more than anywhere else. Britney Spears was recently spotted in the designer's Hollywood warehouse picking out gifts, and Madonna has an item of Ed Hardy clothing on almost daily.

Audigier's unique style of networking has undoubtedly a big part of why he is so successful in the business. He even has a "celebrity gallery" section on his official site that has literally dozens of pictures of him with the hottest celebs around. It ends up being very lucrative giving away free merchandise to celebrities, as the amount of exposure that they receive is so significant. It is also far cheaper than paying thousands of dollars to have the same celebs star in an ad campaign.

The line is, however, not just for celebrities. As designer ranges go it is fairly reasonably priced, with girl's t-shirts starting from $62 and men's from $57. It is also worth noting that the whole range is based on a tattoo style that has endured for decades, so you can buy the clothes knowing that the Ed Hardy range will not be going out of fashion any time soon.