Crafting high-end jewelry with a very strong gothic influence, Chrome Hearts became very popular among the Asian underground a couple years ago in both Korea and Japan. The brand started in 1988 when Richard Stark, Leonard Kamhout, and John Bowman began creating leather goods they would wear while motorcycling. It’s now owned by Richard Stark and his wife Laurie Stark. They employ many of their family members and proudly make everything in the USA. Known for its gothic, rock and roll style, it became a must-have for those who enjoy high quality silver jewelry. Crosses, nails, daggers and skulls cover many of their designs and they tend to stick only to the color black aside from the material they use. Recently, more and more style influencers have been rocking flashy cross covered chains, leading them slowly, but steadily to become a staple in men’s fashion regardless of their religious connotations.
photo credit: Chrome Hearts
Chrome Hearts spares no expense in the face of quality. All of Chrome Hearts’ jewelry ranges from silver to gold to platinum, and is handled with exceptional craftsmanship. Their pieces range from jewelry such as rings and pendants to clothing and even furniture. Although it remains a relatively low-key brand, Chrome Hearts has been known for dropping notable collaborations with titans such as Off-white, and Rick Owens. In their most recent collaboration with supermodel Bella Hadid, Chrome Hearts released a 40 piece collection of apparel and accessories and was debuted at Paris Fashion Week in 2017.
photo credit: @laurielynnstark
Chrome Hearts embodies a unique gothic style and above all represents the youthful freedom of fashion. Rather than renewing every season and following trends, they stick to what they have always been known for. They do not send their products to department stores such as Saks and do not have an online store, which is practically unheard these days. Chrome Hearts can only be found in certain location throughout the world. In the US, there are only 6 cities in which an official Chrome Hearts retailer can be found. The brand is only accessible to those who happen to live in the cities with retailers, but also to those who are hopelessly passionate regardless of what others think. This scarcity raises the brand value exponentially. By very nature, Chrome Hearts embodies the soul of the underground. It isn’t for everyone as their pieces are sought out by only those who are enthusiastic enough to fly to another state, or order them online secondhand, even despite the marked up prices.
photo credit: Mario Testino
Regardless, Chrome Hearts has become very popular amongst fashion titans and famous musicians such as Karl Lagerfield, Rihanna, Elton John, and The Weeknd. In the late Lil Peep’s iconic photoshoot with fashion industry greats, Nicola Formichetti and Mario Testino, he is styled in various Chrome Hearts pieces. Due to how low-key the brand has remained since its launch, there are not many jewelry pieces that scream, “CHROME HEARTS”. However, the dagger ring and the “Lip and tongue motif” are the most notable. They make zero jewelry out of chrome and rarely ever use hearts within their graphics. Chrome Hearts latest collection of clothing features the same blackletter font that has oversaturated the underground Soundcloud music scene in the past couple of years; Cloister Black. Their more streetwear-geared garments take queues from traditional black metal merchandise, featuring lots of sleeve prints and old English lettering.
Chrome Hearts also makes plenty of more advanced level cut and sew garments that feature stitched on crosses, distressing, leather and safety pinned fabric rips. While their bread and butter will always be jewelry and accessories, the garments add nicely to the brands signature aesthetic. Those who enjoy beautifully crafted silver jewelry will continue to rock their signature rings for years to come. Regardless of exclusivity and the super expensive price points, Chrome Hearts is a brand that’s family roots truly embody the essence of the underground.
photo credit: @laurielynnstark