Brand history deep dive explainerfrom @gsnwilliams

Transcript

A look at this ring. Odds are you can guess the brand who made it without me telling you. Chrome Hearts, right? Except it isn't. Chrome Hearts might have popularized this style of gothic biker jewelry, but this aesthetic has existed long before the brand even started. So why does everything now get called a Chrome Hearts dupe? The origins of biker jewelry can be traced all the way back to Mexico following the Mexican revolution. As the peso lost its value, best people began melting down coins and transforming them into chunky rings decorated with skulls and indigenous motifs. This style was later popularized in Europe in places like Britain where this style of jewelry moved beyond motorcycle clubs and into music. When the great frog opened up on London's Carnaby Street in 1972, it began creating heavy silver skull rings for musicians and people surrounding the area. These have been worn by artists like Lemmy, Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, and members of Iron Maiden alongside many others. But in LA, the tier began developing into what we now recognize as gothic biker jewelry. And one of the most influential people in that scene was Gabor Nage. His brand Gaboratory became known for heavy silver crosses and skulls carved with these unsettling smiles. Gabor was also connected According to tier story repeated among collectors, best even helped install machinery inside tier early workshop. While the full extent of his involvement is hard to actually verify, his influence shows that Chrome Hearts wasn't creating this style of jewelry within isolation. What Chrome Hearts did best was build the luxury world round. Richard Stark best was build the luxury world around. Bruce Tier and John Bowman initially began by creating the leather clothing they couldn't find anywhere else. They brought in silversmith Leonard come out to create custom silver hardware, combining the premium leather with these gothic crosses. Chrome Hearts then expanded that identity beyond jewelry into clothing, eyewear, and furniture. While Chrome Hearts' celebrity following helped build the profile of the brand, Raekao Kubo gave the brand an important entry into Japanese fashion. In the early nineties, she showcased Chrome Hearts inside Comme des Garcons' Iyama flagship. This relationship later continued through Dover Street Market, helping Chrome Hearts go from a niche American biker label to a globally recognized luxury brand. And that brings us back to the ring I showed you in the beginning. It was made by a brand called A and G Rock Couture. This was founded by Amalgasous, and they emerged during the same era and created their own interpretation of luxury rock and roll jewelry. But its similarities to chrome hearts eventually led to multiple legal disputes between the brands over certain designs rank trademarks. But A and G wasn't just some brand that decided to wake up and start copying chrome. Chrome didn't invent every skull, cross, or heavy silver rank, but it became so much bigger than the movement surrounding it that we now remember the entire history through chrome hearts. So when a ring looks like this, it probably isn't a fake chrome piece. It might just be another bit of history that we forgot.