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 few weeks ago, Kenya invited me to the vintage market he’s 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.
At 56, Kenya’s taken a new path that’s a natural evolution of where he’s been. His shop, The Modern Republic, has a curated collection of home furnishings, lighting, pottery, books and art from the 1930s through the 1980s. It’s at 5th and Cecil B. Moore, right where I used to have my photo studio. Man, that North Philly neighborhood has changed. It’s downright bougie now.
Among the store’s treasures, he told me about his journey. “I grew up in Germantown,” he says, “I come from a good mom and dad who loved us and taught us well and exposed us to a lot of things.” When he was 10, he spent the summer in Egypt.
Also when he was 10, Kenya’s family moved to East Oak Lane. At 18 he went away to D.C. for college at Howard University. That’s where he met Sean Combs. After graduating, Kenya got into the clothing business, designing for Phat Farm, Fat Joe 560, Girbaud and Sean John.
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’t belong to a musician. Kenya envisioned a brand of his own of art-inspired streetwear. “We couldn’t compete with rappers,” he says, “But we could compete with something fly.” 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.
From there, “It just spread nationwide and worldwide,” he says. First to L.A., then beyond. “I went to Japan. Soon as I get off the plane, I’m in Tokyo, riding down the street, and I see a guy in a big Miskeen shirt. Guys everywhere were rocking Miskeen,” he says. The last place to catch on? New York City. “It was too innovative, too new, too different.”
Isn’t that the way? Philly pioneers things, and it flows out into the world, but it’s not until New York puts the light on it that it gets recognized — and then New York gets the credit.
Success is in Kenya’s 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 national sensation. His younger brother Muhammed is the chef-owner of Down North Pizza (a James Beard Awards leadership honoree) and Out West cafe.
Back to the shop, though. He tells me he specializes in Bauhaus era and Hollywood Regency items — two eras interrupted by wars — but his bread-and-butter is mid-century modern. That’s what the people still want. And, he dabbles in my favorite era: the 1980s.
You can always such pieces any day at The Modern Republic. But this weekend, they’ll also be at the next Vintage Design Market, on April 4 and 5 from 9am to 5pm. I’ll 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’s hard to explain how meaningful that market feels.
Kenya says, “People need a place to go, to feel wanted, to feel uplifted. Sometimes we don’t have communities. It’s just us out here, just doing our thing. We need somebody to say: ‘No, what you’re doing is right. What you’re doing is good.’ Sometimes we need to be surrounded by other individuals who are doing the right thing at the same time.”
West Philly born and raised with a slosh of Brooklyn, Big Rube partnered 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’s also a chef, preparing to open his own space in 2026.
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