Leading nightclub impresario Darren Dzienciol has ascended to debauched celebrity handler through hard work, determination and good old fashioned charm. Cutting his teeth on first venture, Los Angeles’ Guy’s in 2008, Dzienciol plays coy when asked what catalysed his meteoric rise to fame. “I brought my experience in the fashion [industry] with me to nightlife,” he explains, “which played a big role in the success of my places, by no means would I consider what I do a rise to fame though!”
The man about town was a fashion starlet from the tender age of 15, an interest kickstarted by his bar mitzvah: “The first time I put on a suit,” he grins. Dzienciol quickly became a fixture within elite circles for his customised sneakers and later for a range of unique clothing designs. Now the proprietor of notorious LA haunt, 1OAK (since it opened in 2014), Dzienciol has been a facilitator of celebrity down time, with everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Kanye West hitting up the club for both its privacy and luxury. The most guest list spots ever? “1200 people,” he tells me. “That was not comfortable. It was in a room that fit 600 during a Justin Bieber performance.”
One could easily assume that a man whose life revolves around organising famous people into orderly queues, and selecting ostentatious interior decoration, is a man who is solely motivated by celebrity and stats. Dzienciol defies this usual stereotype with a business ethos based on safety and respect: “I try to build a fun place for everyone and if celebrities get to enjoy that too then I get that’s just a bonus.” He may seem nonchalant but there is a degree of candour in his declarations of universal oneness. “Find your own unique ideas, make them your own and don’t copy what you think is cool, be yourself,” he gushes, when asked about what qualities are important to a creative business leader. Wise words indeed.
Despite his current (un)official title as King Club Emperor of LA, Dzienciol is refreshingly simplistic, cutting through questions with an endearing triviality, unexpected for a man whose ego has the potential to be the size of Premiere League football pitch. Luckily for us Londoners, we can expect a 1OAK venue in the capital “within the next 18 months”. “I love the nightlife in London, but after spending quite a bit of time there, I have come to realise there is definitely a void that needs to be filled,” Dzienciol muses. “I would have to say that people in London really know how to go out and have fun and I can’t wait to see how they react to a brand like 1OAK.”
Expect decadence, as Dzienciol is determined to cement his place in night life history with his clubs, wishing he could have frequented the likes of Studio 54, as we all do. “No disco ball is too big”. Well said Darren, we’ll be first in line for spontaneous celebrity sets and pyrotechnics come the London location’s opening.