Chrome Hearts: The Cult Brand That Refuses to Play by the Rules

There are luxury brands—and then there’s Chrome Hearts. Born in the grit of LA’s biker scene in 1988, the label has always thrived in the shadows of the mainstream, building a mythology of baroque crosses, sterling silver, heavy leather, and a very particular kind of rebellion. It doesn’t chase trends, press, or influencers, yet somehow it’s always everywhere: on Drake, on Cher, on the K-pop elite, on runway legends, and once upon a time, layered over the austere silhouette of Karl Lagerfeld himself.

The late Chanel icon was famously obsessed with Chrome Hearts, often stacking its gothic rings, necklaces, and diamond-encrusted belt buckles onto his already maximalist uniform. “Karl loved the quality, and that it was timeless,” says Laurie Lynn Stark, who co-owns the brand with her husband Richard Stark. He saw their pieces as heirlooms, something real in an industry obsessed with artifice. “You’re the only real brand around,” he once told them. Lagerfeld didn’t just shop there—he mentored the Starks, opened doors in Paris, and even collaborated with Chrome Hearts on a limited run of Chanel bags. For a man who collected relentlessly and discarded just as fast, Chrome Hearts was one thing he never let go of.

But that’s the paradox of Chrome Hearts—it’s as underground as it is untouchable. The brand doesn’t advertise. It doesn’t flood social feeds. You want to know what’s in stock? You have to step inside one of their 30+ temples scattered around the world. Each one is an immersive universe of handcrafted everything, from furniture to crystal chandeliers to toilet plungers. And everything, down to the door hinges, is made in their Hollywood workshops. “It’s not like quick production. It’s handmade shit,” says Richard Stark.

Yet despite its low-key presence, Chrome Hearts is perpetually at the center of culture. In the ’90s, it was the uniform of rock legends. Then came the rappers and pop stars, the K-pop idols and athletes. Wherever hype flows, Chrome Hearts is already there—like it never left.

Now, the brand is quietly plotting its next chapter. Recent collaborations, like a diamond-and-pearl jewelry line with Japanese luxury house Mikimoto, prove Chrome Hearts can flirt with traditional elegance without losing its edge. And the Starks are teasing an even bigger expansion: hospitality. Think less private club, more gothic opulence—like crashing a Stark family dinner party curated by Michelin-star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. “It could be a bar, a restaurant, a cafe, a resort… but very exclusive,” says Laurie Lynn. “No membership. If you know, you know.”

And of course, the family remains at the core. Richard and Laurie Lynn’s kids—Jesse Jo, Frankie Belle, and Kristian—are stepping deeper into the business while bringing their own creative energy. “They say the third generation is always the one that fucks it up,” Laurie Lynn jokes. “I’m trying to beat those odds.”

In a world of luxury built on scarcity and spectacle, Chrome Hearts exists in a league of its own: elusive yet everywhere, rebellious yet timeless, handmade yet larger than life. Or as Karl Lagerfeld himself put it, it’s the only real brand around.