{"id":156223,"date":"2026-04-03T10:50:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T10:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/156223\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T10:50:06","slug":"big-rubes-philly-kenya-abdul-hadi-style-iconoclast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/156223\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Rube\u2019s Philly: Kenya Abdul-Hadi, Style Iconoclast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not too many people have stories that mirror mine. Kenya Abdul-Hadi is an exception. Just like me, he grew up Muslim in Philly in the 80s and made his way to the forefront of hip-hop and American fashion in the early 2000s with his brand, Miskeen Originals.<\/a> A few weeks ago, Kenya invited me to the vintage market he\u2019s part of every month in the Stable at Crane Arts. Hundreds of people were there, all shopping for personal and home design, paying homage to the past. A lot of people recognized me and gave me my flowers. It was a beautiful thing.<\/p>\n

At 56, Kenya\u2019s taken a new path that\u2019s a natural evolution of where he\u2019s been. His shop, The Modern Republic,<\/a> has a curated collection of home furnishings, lighting, pottery, books and art from the 1930s through the 1980s. It\u2019s at 5th and Cecil B. Moore, right where I used to have my photo studio. Man, that North Philly neighborhood has changed. It\u2019s downright bougie now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Inside The Modern Republic. <\/p>\n

Among the store\u2019s treasures, he told me about his journey. \u201cI grew up in Germantown,\u201d he says, \u201cI come from a good mom and dad who loved us and taught us well and exposed us to a lot of things.\u201d When he was 10, he spent the summer in Egypt.<\/p>\n

Also when he was 10, Kenya\u2019s family moved to East Oak Lane. At 18 he went away to D.C. for college at Howard University. That\u2019s where he met Sean Combs. After graduating, Kenya got into the clothing business, designing for Phat Farm, Fat Joe 560, Girbaud and Sean John.<\/p>\n

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In those days, rappers cornered the market on hip-hop fashion. Mitchell & Ness, which I brought into the culture, was unique in that we didn\u2019t belong to a musician. Kenya envisioned a brand of his own of art-inspired streetwear. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t compete with rappers,\u201d he says, \u201cBut we could compete with something fly.\u201d He shopped his creations around until, after a long conversation on South Street, Miskeen Originals got into Dr. Denim, where it started selling like hotcakes.<\/p>\n

From there, \u201cIt just spread nationwide and worldwide,\u201d he says. First to L.A., then beyond. \u201cI went to Japan. Soon as I get off the plane, I\u2019m in Tokyo, riding down the street, and I see a guy in a big Miskeen shirt. Guys everywhere were rocking Miskeen,\u201d he says. The last place to catch on? New York City. \u201cIt was too innovative, too new, too different.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Isn\u2019t that the way? Philly pioneers things, and it flows out into the world, but it\u2019s not until New York puts the light on it that it gets recognized \u2014 and then New York gets the credit.<\/p>\n

Success is in Kenya\u2019s DNA too. His son Curran J. Swint came up with the brand Kings Rule Together, which has evolved into a cycling wear and clubs <\/a>\u2014 a national sensation. His younger brother Muhammed is the chef-owner of Down North Pizza<\/a> (a James Beard Awards leadership honoree) and Out West<\/a> cafe.<\/p>\n

Back to the shop, though. He tells me he specializes in Bauhaus era and Hollywood Regency items \u2014 two eras interrupted by wars \u2014 but his bread-and-butter is mid-century modern. That\u2019s what the people still want. And, he dabbles in my favorite era: the 1980s.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kenya Abdul-Hadi, a bike rider, like me. <\/p>\n

You can always such pieces any day at The Modern Republic. But this weekend, they\u2019ll also be at the next Vintage Design Market,<\/a> on April 4 and 5 from 9am to 5pm. I\u2019ll be there too, with pieces from my own collection that people have been patiently waiting for. The vibes and the people there are not to be missed. It\u2019s hard to explain how meaningful that market feels.<\/p>\n

Kenya says, \u201cPeople need a place to go, to feel wanted, to feel uplifted. Sometimes we don\u2019t have communities. It\u2019s just us out here, just doing our thing. We need somebody to say: \u2018No, what you\u2019re doing is right. What you\u2019re doing is good.\u2019 Sometimes we need to be surrounded by other individuals who are doing the right thing at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

West Philly born and raised with a slosh of Brooklyn,\u00a0Big Rube<\/a>\u00a0partnered with Mitchell & Ness in 2000 to help make it a global brand marketing and selling high-end throwback jerseys. He has been photographing Philly since 2009, including in a Daily News Column from 2011 to 2017. He\u2019s also a chef, preparing to open his own space in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\" MORE FROM BIG RUBE\u2019S PHILLY<\/p>\n

Kenya Abdul-Hadi outside his shop.