On January 28, Britney was photographed in her boyfriend, paparazzo Adnan Ghalib’s car, with an Ed Hardy designed air freshener and an Ed Hardy energy drink sitting in the cup holder. Adnan is usually seen out in Hardy’s distinctively designed clothing, featuring big old skulls and roses in swirly patterns reminisicent of tattoos. I’m not a fan of Hardy’s clothing, partially because I find it garish, but also since he seems to stick his name all over everything in big scrawling letters as if his style isn’t recognizable enough on it’s own. Hardy is also a large contributor to the Kabbalah cult, which many people say could explain why Madonna was often seen wearing his scary-looking creations.

In Touch suggests in this week’s magazine that Adnan is getting free swag from the Ed Hardy company, and offer a photo of his phone showing a text message from an employee at the company. They quote a supposed insider who says “Adnan is a total freeloader. He doesn’t pay for most of the clothes he wears. They’re given to him on the provision that he wears them when he’s with her [Britney].”

It sounds like a cheap price to pay for free advertising. Lohan was also said to have struck a deal with the Arriva tabacco cessation company to carry their product around and get photographed with it, although she hasn’t been seen out with it lately that I can tell. You wonder what other kind of backroom deals celebrities and their hangers-on are making for product placement in paparazzi photos. It seems like Adnan must be getting some kind of cash for wearing those clothes, but maybe I’m too influenced by the fact that I wouldn’t be caught out in it unless someone paid me. I’d rather wear a $15 plain t-shirt from Target.

Thanks to WENN for these photos from 1/28/08.