Uwishunu.com

What happens when kids graduate from art school? Well some pine away for forgotten dreams, quickly squashed after those school studio doors swiftly shut you out of their protective womb. While others dust themselves off and say let’s make things happen, our way. Power to those people, and props to Kurt Hunte and Kylie P. Grant for finding each other; pushing through post school, love, self-creation slumps to find a niche making wearable art objects.

I talked with Kylie at the Framers Workroom, a frame shop on 21st and Walnut that she currently manages. Kurt joined us via phone, his double life keeps him rapping with Plastic Little who are jet-setting off to London.

How long have you and Kurt been working together as Kinked Works?

For four years now.

How did you come up with your name?

Woke up one morning and looked at Kurt’s hair, and said kinked. Also both of us having K names, and we were “kinking” clothes, doing re-constructed vintage for Urban Renewal.

Describe what kind of things you guys produce.

We recycle, reconstruct clothes, screen print, use over dyeing and bleaching. We cut, we sew. It has expanded over the years, at first we started out just making women’s clothes, and now we do men’s, children’s and baby stuff.

How is Kinked works “Philly”?

Being resourceful when you’re broke, and using the (art) community to your advantage. We get projects through the network of people that we know, using materials and resources around us. Making something out of nothing. Because we’re “bobo”, in a good way!

Because you are a team, what is your favorite thing about working with each other?

Kurt: Because she brings juices to the studio, that she has a never-ending juice box in her bag. We have a shared aesthetic and the same work ethic, and she just do!

Kylie: His crazy energy, of rapping all night and still able to get a project done the next day. We have a great balance because I operate using trial and error, I get it started and Kurt is the follow through. He thinks things through and finishes them.

Where are things going for Kinked?

We want to connect art and clothing as one. We are working against the grain of manufactured clothing. It would be nice to see our clothes in art galleries as well as retail shops.

You can find Kurt and Kylie working all hours of the day at:

Topstitch
2nd Floor
311 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
www.kinkedworks.com