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A guy who owns a bunch of tattoo stores met a guy who designs jeans.

The two hit it off and decided to go into business together.

The result?

A new line of premium jeans decorated with the same artwork — skulls, flowers and a busty, big-haired woman named Rosie — used by tattoo artists at Detroit-area Inkslingers parlors.

Sold under the label Inkslingers USA, the men's and women's jeans, T-shirts and jackets are arriving in about 300 stores across the nation.

"People get tattoos to express themselves," says designer Joe Faris, 39, who created his first piece of clothing when he was 13 or 14, has worked for Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and urban wear company Pelle Pelle, and now has his headquarters in a suite of offices above a collision shop in Royal Oak, Mich.

The jeans, says Mike Jeziak, who is 55, lives in Roseville, Mich., and founded the Inkslingers tattoo parlor chain, are "a way for someone to express themselves with what they like without having to put it on their skin."

Both men hope they've come up with a Detroit original that combines the area's working-class, industrial edge with a certain glamour the rest of the world will want to wear.

The pair met at a clothing show in Las Vegas in August 2004.

Faris was there to show off jeans he was manufacturing.

Jeziak was there to find someone who could put tattoo designs from the extensive Inkslingers catalog onto clothing.

They talked, struck a deal, and set out to make Inkslingers jeans.

Faris had relationships with fabric makers in China, so he went there to buy denim.

After a lot of research and a few failed experiments, the lab in China came up with a denim wash he liked — the jeans weren't too light or too dark. "The idea is to make every item look very unique and that it's aged and worn and has a very authentic feel to it," he says.

Just as important, the fit.

"In the market we're in, the jean fit is just crucial. It's what will determine whether you live or die," he says. "I'm constantly focusing on that."

The jeans are available in sizes 30 to 44 for men.

For women: sizes 25 to 32, which translates into sizes 0 to 12.

The artwork — the menswear has a lot of skulls and wings and the women's line features hearts and wings — is printed or embroidered onto the clothing.

Some of the clothing items — and all of the hang tags — feature Rosie, the mascot of the Inkslingers brand.

Faris wants the clothing to have a bit of an edge.

"Detroit is a working-class city. It's Midwest. It's in the heart of the country. We get a lot of influences from the East. A lot of influences from the West. We create and develop our own thing."

In fall 2005, Inkslingers USA introduced a test line of clothing, offering it to some of the top jeans retailers in the country.

The test line generated about $650,000 in sales for Inkslingers USA, Faris says.

For the new spring line, Inkslingers USA tripled its offerings for men and women and expanded to about 300 stores. The line has already generated $1.3 million in sales, he says.

It's also generating some buzz.

The jeans and T-shirts were given out at a pre-Oscar party to celebs such as Tori Spelling and Paris Hilton. Jeziak says he's been receiving calls from movie stars who want to wear his jeans, though he won't name anyone.

Inkslingers plans to take its brand global and has recently signed on with distributors in Canada and Europe.

So what's the bottom line for shoppers?

It's easier to get the jeans now because they're available more places.

Prices start at $120. The most elaborate pair, with lots of artwork as well as diamond-like studs and rivets, is about $280.

Shoppers are still discovering the jeans, but those who have like what they've found.

"I fell in love with the jeans on the spot," said Mellissa Henry, 23, a fashion merchandising student at Western Michigan University who first saw the jeans at a fashion show in Royal Oak, Mich.

"They had a really European feel, meaning they put so much artwork into their jeans. . . . They looked great in the butt and had a perfect flare and had a perfect rise, too.

"I have worn them in Chicago, I've worn them in Scottsdale and I've worn them here in Kalamazoo (Mich.) and about 10 people per night are asking. 'Where are those from?' "

Contact Inkslingers at www.inkslingersusa.com online.