Rick Owens, Rolex & More Insanely Rare Chrome Hearts Hit Pharrell's Auction House (EXCLUSIVE)
Chrome Hearts, one of the most enigmatic luxury brands in the biz, is getting just a liiiiiitle bit more demystified, thanks to Pharrell (of all people!). Pharrell's blue-chip auction house, Joopiter, is getting in on the Chrome Hearts game with an expansive auction of some of CH's rarest bits.
Joopiter is hosting the auction in partnership with Casanova Vintage, a high-end secondhand store based in Tokyo that stashes a vast array of coveted creations from top-tier names like Chanel, Hermès, and all the rest.
No surprise that Chrome Hearts itself isn't taking part in the Joopiter sale, though — it operates on a level of patient introversion only comparable to makers like Goyard. These makers let their products do the talking.
And talk they do: Joopiter's Chrome Hearts offering is packed with some seriously explosive statement pieces.
"It is with thanks and respect to the JOOPITER team, and Pharrell, for giving us the opportunity to share with a global audience one of the most noteworthy selections of Chrome Hearts to ever be offered for sale," said Casanova manager Wataru "Benkei" Otaka in a statement.
That's no hyperbole. Casanova has compiled a truly astonishing assortment of ultra-rare Chrome Hearts goods, ranging from a CH-outfitted Barbie doll (estimated valuation: $15,000) to a Chrome Hearts Rolex ($25,000) to two versions of the inimitable Chrome Hearts Rick Owens sneakers, made doubly rare by the fact that they utilize the discontinued Owens "Dunk" as a base.
The appeal of Chrome Hearts is hard to singularly describe to those not already clued in but it's a little streetwear and a little luxury in that it hits the IYKYK scarcity of the former and the real-deal craft of the latter.
Over the past three decades, Chrome Hearts has reinterpreted biker culture through hardy silver accessories with a single-mindedness that's aligned it with fellow fashion rebels like COMME des GARÇONS. It's since extended its motifs to graphic athleisure that remains popular if only because those pieces are some of the most approachable (and widely available) CH gear on the market, even sold at high-end department store Bergdorf Goodman. The easiest way to flex the name is to grab a $700 hoodie.
But Chrome Hearts' most sought-after stuff is its custom fare, all unique and all wildly expensive.
This is perhaps best epitomized by Chrome Hearts' much-loved Levi's jeans, patched with leather crosses and studded with silver in place of the usual copper hardware. Available only occasionally at select Chrome Hearts stores, these can cost nearly $3,000 at retail (if not more) and resale for twice or even thrice as much (Joopiter and Casanova's selection valuates some examples at over $10,000).
The vast spate of one-off Chrome Hearts items encourages these kinds of fantastic secondhand sales, where all manner of beautifully bizarre creations surface for what may be the first time, at least for most viewers.
Expect this Chrome Hearts auction, which runs on Joopiter's website from November 15 through 26, to lure in all manner of true believers seeking to snag a precious piece — maybe even Martha Stewart.
