Collection: Krink
Krink — From NYC Graffiti Ink to Global Creative Tools
Born in New York City, Krink is an artist materials brand and creative studio founded by Craig Costello, evolving from the first dedicated ink and paint marker company for graffiti writers into a global force for specialty tools, editions, apparel, and accessories. Grounded in the grit and ingenuity of the city, Krink began by modifying and repurposing everyday objects—transforming them into high-flow markers, drippy mops, and high-opacity inks that could survive sun, rain, concrete, and time. The mission has remained constant: invent new creative tools that bridge functionality, art, and design, empowering a raw, unmistakable visual language born on the streets and refined in the studio.
More about Krink
The Krink origin story is the entrepreneurial New York dream. Growing up in Queens in the ’80s, Costello absorbed graffiti, skateboarding, punk, hardcore, hip-hop, and new wave, then began tinkering—reworking marker bodies, adjusting viscosity, testing on raw concrete and primed walls, and developing an aesthetic control others couldn’t match. Early icons like the K-71 Ink Marker and the Krink Mop set a new standard for flow, saturation, and drips, while experiments with UNI PX70 conversions, shoe-polish mops, and later sprayers and fire extinguishers proved that innovation is a method, not a single product.
Returning to NYC’s Lower East Side in the late ’90s, Krink shifted from a one-person apartment operation into a studio-based brand: hand-filling bottles, printing labels, and selling through ALIFE, where drops sold out immediately. Demand pushed Krink into small-batch, USA-based production, partnering with a factory to keep quality, consistency, and R&D close. That tight loop—prototype, field test, refine—still defines Krink’s approach: durable black inks, brilliant silver paints, and marker tips engineered for flow without clogging, built to deliver archival, high-impact marks.
As a creative studio, Krink collaborates with artists, designers, and brands on special projects that extend the Krink look beyond tools: limited editions, site-specific installations, and cross-disciplinary work that speaks to art, design, and culture. The brand aesthetic is neutral, industrial, clean, and ambiguous—objects that look refined on a desk yet perform in the harshest outdoor environments. Whether on mailboxes and doors or canvas and walls, Krink’s visual DNA—luminous drips, bold coverage, unmistakable lines—remains instantly recognizable.
Today, Krink stands as a global platform for mark-making, uniting graffiti heritage with contemporary craftsmanship. From high-flow markers and mops to sprayers, editions, and apparel, Krink continues to invent tools, refine formulas, and champion a culture where materials push ideas further. It’s NYC street innovation distilled into professional-grade products—built for artists, designers, and creatives who demand tools with soul and performance.