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The year was 2013. I was visiting Miami for Spring Break and had decided to hit some stores at Lincoln Road Mall- most notably Alchemist - a boutique on the fifth floor of a garbage compound designed by Herzog & De Meuron. Before Alchemist established their independent label, they were a premier boutique store for a variety of rare labels such as Mastermind, Ready Made, Rick Owens, and Chrome Hearts. At this point in my fashion career, I was just getting into certain brands and understanding their heritage and where they fit within the menswear zeitgeist. When I approached the jewelry counter at Alchemist I noticed a variety of gothic-inspired sterling silver and gold jewelry. I had never heard of Chrome Hearts (I know I was late to the party). Lili Quiveiro (the sales associate at the time) explained the history of the brand and gave me the entire synopsis of what made Chrome Hearts special. That day, I left Alchemist with my first Chrome Hearts piece - a humble star pendant necklace that I still wear to this day. As one may imagine, once you buy your first piece you get hooked and end up with a Chrome Hearts plunger after you’ve bought everything else you can possibly wear on your body (yes… I have the plunger). Chrome Hearts is a brand that I am passionate about because they do a great job of offering expansive product categories, immaculate store design, and quality products.

Chrome Hearts was founded in 1988 by Richard Stark & John Bowman in a LA garage. At the time, Stark was dealing high-end leather hides while Bowman was crafting garments out of leather. They both rode motorcycles and decided that they should make their own leather jackets and accessories since they couldn't find pieces that they liked wearing in the current marketplace. A third member joined them shortly afterward - master jeweler, Leonard Kamhout, who worked exclusively with sterling silver. They began crafting leather jackets with sterling silver zippers and snap buttons among other silver accessories. The company's first "job" was styling a TV show called "Biker Chicks in Zombie Town", however, one of the working titles for the show was actually “Chrome Hearts", which of course Stark ended up using for the brand. In 1994, Stark and his co-founders decided to part ways. Shortly afterward, Stark connected with Laurie Lynn - an avid customer known for ordering Chrome Hearts leather bathing suits - married her (CH leather bikinis = wifey material), and eventually made her a brand partner.

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In 1996, Chrome Hearts opened its first boutique in New York City at 159 East 64th Street, Manhattan. Now the brand has 28 stores worldwide and has become known for its top to bottom interior designs. In the video above from a 1993 VH1 Special, Richard Stark explains that [Chrome Hearts] wants to make everything. Their stores and product assortment is a true testament to that. The brand currently offers jewelry, sunglasses, clothing, accessories, home goods, custom Rolex timepieces, and furniture. The brand takes pride in literally making everything you can imagine. They have created their own world, and it is apparent once you walk into each Chrome Hearts boutique. For example, the Miami store has the brand’s only candy store while NYC’s flagship is the only furniture flagship in the world. Each store boasts its own unique characteristics as well as store-exclusive products.

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Chrome Hearts began collaborating with others for special projects starting 2002 with The Rolling Stones- creating exclusive apparel and jewelry (some of which they still sell to this day). In addition to the Rolling Stones, Chrome Hearts has also collaborated with Guns n’ Roses, Comme Des Garcons, Rick Owens, Off-White, Louis Vuitton (furniture) Matty Boy, Baccarat, and most recently Bella Hadid.

Born from biker culture, the brand became synonymous with rock n' roll - attracting clientele such as Guns n’ Roses, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and many more. Slowly the brand began to attract clientele from all areas and subcultures. Soon Chrome Hearts could be seen on a vast array of celebrities and influential figures - even Chanel's former Creative Director - Karl Lagerfeld exclusively wore Chrome Hearts. Today, Chrome Hearts remains one of the most popular contemporary jewelry and lifestyle brands with its expansive clientele & product offering.

The History of Chrome Hearts