The History of Krink + Interview

onlyMarkers Interview: KRINK

Many great things this days, ?

I meet some close friends from S?o Paulo who i miss a lot, i paint a little, i have the luck to meet and talk with BLU at The influencers, very nice and smart people and finally i have my own DIY ?stealth ink? working ?

Too much things and no time to write here. Sorry.

Well, here we go with our first interview, KR aka KRINK aka Craig Costello, don?t need an introduction, but if somebody don?t know him i?ll introduce him in few words. KR is an independent manufacturer of markers and inks. Based in the city of NY where he produce his hi quality and very nice look products. In fact is a cult hero in the marker scene and have many rip off brands in both sides of the atlantic. The products are expensive, but you?re buying something more than a marker ?

Let?s go ?

I see in internet a picture of an old green plastic bottle with a KRINK label handwrited,
how many bottles like this you sell before the creation of the KRINK branding?

The bottle you mentioned was never for sale. I would give ink to friends and put a sticker on the bottle or write a tag on it.
I did not start making Krink to sell, I made it to use it and write. It was only much later that I decided to start selling it. I was making Krink, catching drippy tags, etc? for about 8 years before I sold the first bottle. Today so many people want to sell things to ?cultures?. They start a business, but have no history, it?s very strange sometimes, but the almighty dollar (or Euro) rules.

How many people are involved on KRINK right now?
Not many. We are very very small, and we are making moves daily.

Are you a marker collector?
if yes, how you feel about all the another marker collectors who have KRINK in his vitrines?
I have some old markers that I keep, but I do not have too many.I am very flattered that people keep Krink markers or bottles of ink because they like the brand, the design, or that it means something to them.

When i see your catalog i think in brands like Markal, Dalo, Marsh and all this industrial marker brands, very heavy products for workers. I?m in the right way if i think you?re more influenced with this kind of hardware than graffiti brands?

Yes this is the style of ink that I used before I started making Krink. Industrial quality was the best and it was a big influence in making Krink ink and styling. There were not many graffiti brands when I started making Krink, and for me to brand something ?graffiti brand? is too narrow. I have many other creative interests and I don?t want to held to just one style.
Also, when I was writing graffiti, I was very nondescript and low-key. I would never advertise myself as a writer, for me it was about being unexpected. You could not see that I was a writer at just a glance, and I think this is also reflected in Krink style.

Tell us, what?s the most weird question or sugestion about KRINK you heard ever?
Girls who want to put on their body.

I have two limited editions of KRINK in my collection, The Silver Sharpie and the Beautifull Losers K-70.
Have any new release for this 2009?
Yes, we just released a co-branded marker with ?Married to the Mob? a women?s street wear line from NYC.
We just did a marker for Andre from Paris for the release of his Belvedere vodka brand.
We have more things coming, but I can?t say now.

Do you want to say something more to our readers?
Experiment, be creative, stay positive. It is the haters and nay-sayers that will be forgotten.
Peace and love will always save the day.

Short quiz:

Marker or squeezer?
Both, depends on the job.
What you call a ?squeezer?, is also a marker.

Silver or black?
Both, depends if I am writing on dark or light colored surface.

New or old?
Respect for both.
Can?t have the new without the old. Everything is a progression and is tied together.

Comercial or DIY?
Again, both have their place, depends on the situation.
I like DIY, because that is how my personality is, I don?t like things too commercial, but of course it has it?s place.

http://onlymarkers.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/onlymarkers-interview-krink/