Chrome Hearts Is (Still) the Hottest Brand on the Planet. So What’s Next?
StyleTalking pearl jewelry, hospitality, and succession plans at a typical Stark family dinner.By Samuel HineNovember 12, 2024The Starks: Frankie Belle, Richard, Jesse Jo, and Laurie LynnCourtesy of Chrome HeartsSave this storySaveSave this storySaveThis is an edition of the newsletter Show Notes, in which Samuel Hine reports from the front row of the fashion world. Sign up here to get it free.On Thursday evening, a leather-clad crowd began arriving at the Chrome Hearts flagship store in the West Village. “It’s just a small group of people,” said Laurie Lynn Stark, who co-owns the enigmatic American luxury brand with her husband, Richard Stark, and their three children. “Family, dedicated friends, editors, movie stars, you know, rock stars—people who have been around.”Chrome Hearts is one of the most fascinating brands in the luxury fashion ecosystem, which is why I’ve covered the brand as much as anyone can. Which isn’t a whole lot. By any standard, hard-core made-in-Hollywood jewelry and leather goods don’t court hype. Odds are you didn’t hear much about the dinner, held in celebration of a new jewelry line with Japanese pearl specialists Mikimoto. The Starks don’t chase coverage, and the event didn’t make the brand’s Instagram page, which is basically just a mood board of crucifix-heavy craftsmanship. The point, the glamorous Laurie Lynn explained, isn’t to make noise. “I don't like to have a party just because you need publicity,” she told me. “We pretty much have a party when we feel like it.”Courtesy of Chrome HeartsChrome Hearts feels like a filigreed black box by design. Outside of a magazine published in Japan—covered by an iconic roster of Chrome Hearts collectors like Iggy Pop, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, the late Karl Lagerfeld, and Cher, among others—the brand doesn’t advertise. If you want to buy something, or even know what’s in stock at any given time, you need to go to one of the 30-plus stores around the world. What you can count on, though, is that as trends rise and fall, Chrome Hearts will stay true to its baroque-biker sensibility. Much of the line looks basically the same as it did when the sterling hardware caught on with rock-and-rollers in the early ’90s.And yet hype perpetually finds Chrome Hearts. As rock faded, pop stars embraced the brand; next, the hip-hop scene turned Chrome into the first and last word in flexing, then came K-pop stars and athletes. Wherever cultural waves go, you’ll find Chrome Hearts. And on Thursday, based on the slim pickings behind the glass-front display cases, the feverish consumption that follows shows no sign of slowing down.Courtesy of Chrome HeartsMost PopularStyleMark Wahlberg Is the First Celebrity to Wear the Patek Philippe CubitusBy Ollie CoxStyleTom Hardy Kept the Tags on His Rare Air Jordans Like a True-Blue SneakerheadBy Adam CheungGQ Recommends4 Smartly-Priced Topcoats You Can Share With Paul MescalBy Adam CheungThough officially speaking the dinner wasn’t organized to drum up buzz, the Stark clan agreed to a rare catch-up on the sidelines. These days, it’s not often that the Malibu-headquartered family is all in the same place. In the wood-paneled ground floor of the sprawling boutique, near an imposing stuffed leather brontosaurus, Chrome Hearts founder Richard Stark mugged for the camera with Laurie Lynn, daughters Jesse Jo and Frankie Belle, and longtime client and friend Marina Abramović. The only Stark missing was Frankie’s twin brother, Kristian, who was throwing his own party in St. Barts that night, where he opened a Chrome Hearts boutique at the precocious age of 17.Up the ebony staircase and underneath a vampiric black crystal chandelier made by Baccarat, Mikimoto COO Yasuhiko Hashimoto was sampling a bite of uni passed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Looking around, I was struck by the fact that many guests were dressed like it was Oscars night—and that was before I spotted Michelle Yeoh, clad in a black gown topped with a heap of pearls. Outfit aside, it was about as low-key an appearance as you’ll get from an Academy Award winner at a fashion dinner. There were only two photographers padding around (baby-faced friends of the Stark children), and not an influencer in sight.Courtesy of Chrome HeartsMost PopularStyleMark Wahlberg Is the First Celebrity to Wear the Patek Philippe CubitusBy Ollie CoxStyleTom Hardy Kept the Tags on His Rare Air Jordans Like a True-Blue SneakerheadBy Adam CheungGQ Recommends4 Smartly-Priced Topcoats You Can Share With Paul MescalBy Adam CheungOn a nearby table, guests examined strands of perfect pearls studded with diamonds, pieces from the 10-piece collaboration. One man with a white ponytail and a cane wore a trench coat fit for Van Helsing, made entirely of leather patches stamped in the shape of the signature Chrome Hearts cross. I was told he is the brand’s top client in Toronto not named Drake. Said Hashimoto, “Chrome Hearts was the perfect partner for this collaboration because they bring
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This is an edition of the newsletter Show Notes, in which Samuel Hine reports from the front row of the fashion world. Sign up here to get it free.
On Thursday evening, a leather-clad crowd began arriving at the Chrome Hearts flagship store in the West Village. “It’s just a small group of people,” said Laurie Lynn Stark, who co-owns the enigmatic American luxury brand with her husband, Richard Stark, and their three children. “Family, dedicated friends, editors, movie stars, you know, rock stars—people who have been around.”
Chrome Hearts is one of the most fascinating brands in the luxury fashion ecosystem, which is why I’ve covered the brand as much as anyone can. Which isn’t a whole lot. By any standard, hard-core made-in-Hollywood jewelry and leather goods don’t court hype. Odds are you didn’t hear much about the dinner, held in celebration of a new jewelry line with Japanese pearl specialists Mikimoto. The Starks don’t chase coverage, and the event didn’t make the brand’s Instagram page, which is basically just a mood board of crucifix-heavy craftsmanship. The point, the glamorous Laurie Lynn explained, isn’t to make noise. “I don't like to have a party just because you need publicity,” she told me. “We pretty much have a party when we feel like it.”
Chrome Hearts feels like a filigreed black box by design. Outside of a magazine published in Japan—covered by an iconic roster of Chrome Hearts collectors like Iggy Pop, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, the late Karl Lagerfeld, and Cher, among others—the brand doesn’t advertise. If you want to buy something, or even know what’s in stock at any given time, you need to go to one of the 30-plus stores around the world. What you can count on, though, is that as trends rise and fall, Chrome Hearts will stay true to its baroque-biker sensibility. Much of the line looks basically the same as it did when the sterling hardware caught on with rock-and-rollers in the early ’90s.
And yet hype perpetually finds Chrome Hearts. As rock faded, pop stars embraced the brand; next, the hip-hop scene turned Chrome into the first and last word in flexing, then came K-pop stars and athletes. Wherever cultural waves go, you’ll find Chrome Hearts. And on Thursday, based on the slim pickings behind the glass-front display cases, the feverish consumption that follows shows no sign of slowing down.
Though officially speaking the dinner wasn’t organized to drum up buzz, the Stark clan agreed to a rare catch-up on the sidelines. These days, it’s not often that the Malibu-headquartered family is all in the same place. In the wood-paneled ground floor of the sprawling boutique, near an imposing stuffed leather brontosaurus, Chrome Hearts founder Richard Stark mugged for the camera with Laurie Lynn, daughters Jesse Jo and Frankie Belle, and longtime client and friend Marina Abramović. The only Stark missing was Frankie’s twin brother, Kristian, who was throwing his own party in St. Barts that night, where he opened a Chrome Hearts boutique at the precocious age of 17.
Up the ebony staircase and underneath a vampiric black crystal chandelier made by Baccarat, Mikimoto COO Yasuhiko Hashimoto was sampling a bite of uni passed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Looking around, I was struck by the fact that many guests were dressed like it was Oscars night—and that was before I spotted Michelle Yeoh, clad in a black gown topped with a heap of pearls. Outfit aside, it was about as low-key an appearance as you’ll get from an Academy Award winner at a fashion dinner. There were only two photographers padding around (baby-faced friends of the Stark children), and not an influencer in sight.
On a nearby table, guests examined strands of perfect pearls studded with diamonds, pieces from the 10-piece collaboration. One man with a white ponytail and a cane wore a trench coat fit for Van Helsing, made entirely of leather patches stamped in the shape of the signature Chrome Hearts cross. I was told he is the brand’s top client in Toronto not named Drake. Said Hashimoto, “Chrome Hearts was the perfect partner for this collaboration because they bring an unapologetic, rebellious energy that pushes the boundaries of traditional luxury.”
“We've been working on this collaboration for five years,” added Jesse Jo, who brought the idea of doing a line of pearl jewelry to her parents. Chrome Hearts collabs don’t come together on a whim, as they aren’t typically one-and-done. Their partners—including Baccarat, Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, and Wesco—tend to stick around for years. Of the new relationship with Mikimoto, “I think it’ll be a long-lasting thing,” said a clearly proud Richard who, weathered by a lifetime of bike riding, looks every bit the patriarch. The parents have always been eager for their offspring to get their hands dirty in the Hollywood factory: Kristian, now 21, designed his first leather jacket with pops when he was in grade school, and Frankie has her own line of swimwear and is studying handbag design at fashion school.
Lately, the heirs have been taking an even more active role in the family business. Though her parents were technically hosting, it was Jesse Jo’s party. Dressed in a lacy bustier, a pearl and diamond choker around her neck, she alternated between dancing with a small group of friends and methodically working the room. A few years ago, she stepped away from the day-to-day to pursue her music career in London, and now is embracing her role back home while simultaneously teasing new music. (She dropped a new single on Halloween, then celebrated with a Chrome Hearts costume party.) “I've always been behind the scenes, and now I think I'm finding my footing and feeling really grounded and taking ownership of what I do within the brand,” she said. “It’s hard for us to step away. It's our core and it's our blood, so we really want to set the tone and bring what we've learned to the table.”
Her parents appear to be counting on it. “They say the third generation is always the one that fucks it up,” said Laurie Lynn. By properly training the second, she added, “I’m trying to beat those odds.” “I feel very optimistic” about the future of Chrome Hearts, Richard chimed in. “Besides loving my family—that’s just like a given—I like working with ’em. Which is a plus, ’cause that isn’t always the case.”
During the cocktail hour, Laurie Lynnn cued up a surprise performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir. Though the Chrome Hearts vibe is more “Sympathy for The Devil” than “Amazing Grace,” it did feel like a somewhat fitting gesture given the copious amounts of religious iconography in the room. The banquet tables, the white leather tufted benches, the Baccarat crystal wine and water glasses, the candles, the napkin holders, the basketball hoop installed behind the singers—everything, down to the ebony-handed plunger in the bathroom, is branded. This full artisanal immersion, Richard assured me, doesn’t come easy. “Everything you're looking at is made in Hollywood,” he said. “It's not like quick production. It's handmade shit.”
Over the course of the night, I got a sense of the direction this methodical process is heading. When I profiled the family in 2022, Laurie Lynn mentioned that they were working on some kind of hospitality project. Sitting in her office near the open kitchen, we could see Vongerichten, the god of modern French fine dining, expediting hors d'oeuvres—a hint, apparently, of what’s to come. “They went way forward,” she said of the plans. “We’re going to roll out a whole hospitality situation.”
The premise, I gathered, is what if anyone could join a gothically opulent Stark family dinner party? Well, not anyone. As Laurie Lynn clued me in, “It could be a bar, a restaurant, a cafe, a resort, but very exclusive.” Think the Polo Bar, but swap the horses for Harleys. “There’s no membership,” Laurie Lynn said, quick to dismiss the suggestion that the idea felt like a private club. “I don't like that, because we don't need a membership. ’Cause if you know, you know. We know who our people are, and they don't need to buy a membership.”
They just might need to buy a lot of Chrome Hearts. For the food, they’ve partnered with Vongerichten, who closed out dinner with an edible string of pearls topped with a dark chocolate cross pendant, so well-executed that I couldn’t decide if I should eat it, wear it, or resell it on Grailed—the product of another natural collaboration. “My parents’ relationship with Jean-Georges has been forever,” said Jesse Jo. “To me, that’s so cool. It’s undeniable when you grow up together.”
Depending on which Stark you talk to, the first concept will be in Paris (per Laurie) or right around the corner from the Washington Street store (per Richard). Since everything has to be made in Hollywood, down to the door hinges, Richard didn’t want to put an exact timeline on doors opening. A year-and-a-half, maybe two. In typical Chrome Hearts fashion, they’re doing what feels right rather than following an institutional playbook. “We’re just chipping away as at anything else, you know?” said Richard. “It’s not, like, Chrome Hearts Hospitality,” he added, gesturing across an invisible marquee. “It’s just another thing we do.”
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