Pearls have more than rewritten it’s own name and legacy in the past decade, moving straight from the restrained necks of the more stately folk to the ears, wrists and even waists of the crowd that determines what’s “in” or “out” — draped or stacked in new avant-garde and street-approved manners. While Mikimoto continues to helm the title as the gatekeeper of all things pearl and exceptionally crafted, a love call from across the globe has since perched it up onto a new pedestal, straight in the line of sight of culture’s most influential individuals into the books of cult-cool.
Introducing the first ever Mikimoto Chrome Hearts collection — set to become one of the most covetable releases for both the cultured pearl connoisseur and the enigmatic luxury accessories, leather and furniture company.
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The seeds of this collection were planted by Jesse Jo Stark, the eldest daughter of Chrome Hearts founders Richard and Laurie Lynn Stark, who became quite taken by the duality of pearls one day in 2020 — a rich and storied chapter of jewellery that was both classically beautiful yet radically rebellious. She sought to integrate pearl elements into the already classic Chrome Hearts fine jewellery repertoire, to which Richard Stark asserted, “If it’s pearls, it has to be Mikimoto.” This eventually led to a personal introduction to the 131-year-old Japanese brand, making way for a new and distinct aesthetic language that highlighted the timeless elements of both brands — bold, edgy yet luxurious in a very gothic romantic way.
The core collection features eleven fine jewellery pieces, including a pendant, a lariat impressed with a Chrome Hearts “Baby Fat” cross emblem at the center, two pearl strand necklaces, five drop and stud earrings, a bracelet, and a safety pin-shaped brooch — all crafted with Mikimoto pearls and the distinctive gothic guild and ice of Chrome Hearts. There are also four high jewellery necklaces, each boasting the intricate weaving of carefully chosen pearl strands — only produced in limited two-of-a-kind quantities.
The Mikimoto Chrome Hearts collection will be available exclusively at Chrome Hearts New York, Aoyama, and London, as well as at Mikimoto Ginza Main Store, New York, and Hong Kong. It comes after their other high profile collaboration with Comme des Garçons last year, these forward moves into the culture’s it-corner emblematic of peak Japanese luxury today — classic yet always pursuing novel standards of innovation that will be looked up to from everywhere.
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