New Arrivals - Christian Audigier Caps

New Ed Hardy Cap arrivals

Every cap brand spankin' new! Sorry folks we don't sell basic caps so don't even bother asking... so think BLING!


Every cap brand spankin' new!

Don Ed Hardy Designs - fake or real caps?

Are Ed Hardy Caps with the logo "Don Ed Hardy Designs" (to be referred to as DEHD from now on) real? This is one of the most common questions I get on the blog all the time. I must have answered 100s of these questions.

In the beginning because I had never seen one nor have they been offered to sale to us from the Ed Hardy distributors. So I would always answered everyone that I believe that they were fakes.

A while back one my blog readers had contacted Ed Hardy and apparently they said that "Don Ed Hardy Designs" caps were real. So I immediately contacted the Canadian Ed Hardy people and they go on to tell me there's no such thing. So I contacted the US Ed Hardy people to confirm this and they did indeed told me there is such a brand but when I asked them why retailers weren't offered these goods for sale... then I got the big run around... what is the deal with these things?

Not long after I was at a buying trip in Las Vegas (you can see a picture of my assistant and me with Christian Audigier himself!) I didn't see any "Don Ed Hardy Designs" being offered up for ordering at the booth. So if indeed they are real I can only see 2 reasons why us regular Ed Hardy/Christian Audigier retailers don't get to sell them:

1. They're not sold to us Canadian retailers
3. They're "irregulars" meaning that they were made incorrectly and sold to online discounters (like overstock) or sold at a discount to a normal retailers (a fashion retailer but not your "full meal deal" EH or CA retailer). Possibly done to protect the premium price point of the Christian Audigier's flagship brands.

Either way they're not Ed Hardy hats in the traditional sense. They definitely are less detailed. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see DEHD hats faked too. Since I don't get to sell these... I can't tell you whether or not they're fake. So good luck!

Ed Hardy Caps Summer 08

Ed Hardy Rhinestone Hats

My "How to spot fake Ed Hardy Hats" post has been so popular that I think it's time to show some REAL Ed Hardy hats. These are brand spanking new in the store. Come get some!

Fake Ed Hardy Cap Submissions

The response from my initial post about "How to spot a fake Ed Hardy cap" was carzy. I'm not perfect and most of the times the pictures aren't very detailed either but I hope to help however I can. So if want know if your hat is fake, then email me some pictures to fed@trudrama.com

Here are some of the email submissions:

This cap just from sewing quality is likely to be fake.

I do believe this one is real but I do have some suspicions on the seams. They're more worn than usual. This might be a returned item and has been discounted.

The colours and details are there but probably fake due to the "Hardy" part being sewn into the crease.

This Ed Hardy Cap is 99% for sure real. I can't really give a 100% unless I'm in physically holding it myself. These were the best pictures anyone has sent me. So a picture of the metal button on top, close up of the bill, inside and plastic strap are best!

How to spot a fake Ed Hardy cap

Which of these Ed Hard caps are fakes? It's easier than you think to pick them out. The real one is the one on the right in orange and brown while the fakes are in the black or white camouflage.

Ed Hardy products have been so hot in our store since we started carrying them over a year ago. The quality and attention to detail that goes into each products really shows. Their products are much sought after by fans and my staff alike. Unfortunately, the premium price this product pulls in makes it a favorite of counterfeiters too.

Lately I've been seeing some fake Ed Hardy caps floating around. A true fan would probably kill themselves before ever putting one on. However, I can see how the uninitiated may think they're getting a great deal. Unfortunately, they're only fooling themselves.

I've gotten my hands on a couple of fakes to really study how they're different from the genuine article. By no means is this a conclusive investigation but I hope to have starting point for others on how to spot a fake. The first 5 points are the most obvious while the remainder is harder to distinguish or easily fixed by the counterfeiters.

Hologram Sticker. Very obvious differences here.

• Not a Hologram. Real one has a serial number and countermeasure. Fake is just a shiny sticker
• Wrong Symbol. It's supposed to be a skull in a top hat with crossbones.
• Wrong Size. Real sticker is 1.5 inches while fake is 1 inch

Materials, Bill and Front.

• The material is quite a bit rougher, the fake is almost a canvas and comes in this camouflage pattern that doesn't exist.
• On the real cap there's also one extra line of stitching that runs right above the bill.

Materials, Mesh. This is where it's most obvious. The fake has this horrible poorly made material where the fakers didn't even try to replicate the original.

Adjustable Plastic Band. The fake one is flimsy and much thinner and doesn't have the website in raised letters.


Metal button on the top of cap. On the left, the real one definitely is more intricate and detailed. I can't even tell what the character the fake one is trying to be... an ape?

Embroidery. On fakes this is probably where the counterfeiters spent all their efforts. Even to me it's hard to tell it's a fake from it. There are some tell tale clues though:

• There is a noticeable shortage of density in the embroidery
• The lettering on the words "Ed Hardy" is a bit elongated, especially the loops in the beginning and end.

• Stones. The fake ones are all dull and placed in an odd way. Real hats would never have the stones placed on the eyes of the tiger.
  
• General Shape. The fake ones have no shape due to the cheap materials used. So even the front panels sag a bit.
  
• Country of origin and materials tag. There is none on the fake one.
• Ed Hardy Label. The tag is poorly sewed and much larger than the real one.
  
• The printing on the ribs on the inside. The "www.donedhardy.com" printing is quite a bit bigger.
  

When I was doing research for this post I found ads for fake hats all over the place. There really is a lot of fakes for sale out there. What pisses me off is the prices these cheaters are hoping to get. The prices are cheaper than the real thing but not by much. They're really ripping you off!

I could spot out the fake items right away, even from a tiny web for sale picture. The difference between the genuine article and the fake is very obvious. The 2 fake caps I have are quite cheap feeling and the mesh really won't hold out on repeated wearings.

If you think you have a fake hat, bring it by the store. We'll try to help you figure out it's authenticity.

Give the gift of Christian Audigier

Lucky us and you! We've got a new shipment of Christian Audigier arriving today! No repeats, they're all new pieces for Holiday/Pre-Spring (what the heck?) delivery. I couldn't find pictures for the new Goddess tees and Tiger Rose tees we're getting but they're hot! The caps of course are one size and unisex.

Rose Short Sleeve Tee in black

Skull Logo Rhinestone Tee Black


Specialty Cap, Diamond Skull - Green/Green, Brown/Brown with Rhinestones



Cholo Signature Barrio Hat in White or Black, with or without Rhinestones