When Amy Howell Mittelstadt and I were looking for creative vendors for the CWE Flea we happened upon Kristen Kempton, above, at Missouri Fashion Week last summer (now Missouri Style Week) where she was showing her designs on the runway. We fell in love with her work and broached the possibility of her joining us at the Flea. She agreed and later admitted she had never been to the CWE before. She arrived at the inaugural event last September with vintage suitcases, also above, filled with her hand-dyed, handmade clothing.
She'll be joining us again this season, so in advance of Saturday's first Flea of the year, I thought it would be fun to tell you about this fascinating woman. Kristen, the oldest of three girls, grew up on a farm in southwest Michigan where creativity and self-sufficiency were the norm. The family grew corn, had a pony and raised chickens. At her grandparents farm nearby there was churned butter, handmade soap and handmade clothing. Kristen's aunt made wedding cakes, and she says her grandmother could make a pie while knitting a sweater.
In her senior year a friend urged her to submit an application and portfolio to an art school. She was stunned when she was accepted at Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Art has played an important part in her life ever since.
Three months ago Kristen and her boyfriend Peter Houston moved to a 2000 s.f. loft on Olive where the CWE merges with the Gaslight Square District. The move was prompted by their enthusiasm for the neighborhood (and the neighbors) after being part of the CWE Flea. The huge space has been divided into a living area with rooms for visiting children (Kristen has a daughter, Peter a son), and a light-filled workshop for Kristen. The dining area is shown above, the kitchen below.
Kristen says the artistic side of her life is constantly evolving. Years ago, when she was living in Santa Fe, she made books out of handmade paper which she sold at a farmers/artists market. She sold out each weekend. After baby Hazel was born, she realized handmade paper and babies don't mesh. Serendipitously her mother sent her a sewing machine, and though Kristen had never sewn before, she taught herself to make hats using vintage patterns. Again, she sold as many as she could make.
Seven years ago Kristen and a dear friend started silk screening extra-large men's t-shirts which Kristen then cut up and made into women's clothing. Combining artistic skills with sewing has turned out to be the perfect art form for this creative soul.
Kristen sells her clothing on Etsy. The unusual name she chose for her line, "fink" (fashion + art), means she doesn't have to worry about anyone taking the name. Her one-of-a-kind custom-made clothing ranges from $95 to $495. Since her clothing is an investment, Kristen says she sends it off beautifully wrapped in handmade paper (see first photo), and usually tucks a little something extra inside each package.
Examples of Kristen's screens are shown above, along with a top she recently finished for a customer, lower right. I love what Kristen had to say about her hand-drawn stripes: "Most fabric patterns are drawn first and then digitally produced," she said and continued:
"It's the human touch that adds soul to art. A hand-drawn stripe draws you in…the error adds charm."
Her first silk screen, the onion pattern above, is one she still uses.
Kristen's first sewing machine, the one her mother sent her, was a Singer from the 50s. "Bernadina," above, is the third she's had in the past seven years. No fancy computer-controlled machine for this designer, she eschews the serger too…"too complicated to thread."
This is a top (note the onion pattern) that I purchased from Kristen last fall. The pieces that she brings to the CWE Flea are not as expensive as those she sells online, because they are not custom-made. Some are samples. Whatever she brought last year was snapped up.
And finally, Kristen very generously shared advice for anyone wanting to start an online business. "Start as simple as you can," she said, "and take the time to earn trust from your customers. Success doesn't happen overnight." For three years Kristen held a part-time job so she could support her fledgling business.
Find Kristen Kempton at iheartfink.etsy.com, and be sure to stop by her booth Saturday and the first Saturday of each month from May through November at the CWE Flea, 449 N. Euclid (at Washington). She'll be there from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We're so glad she has put down roots in the CWE too!