Knives Illustrated – August 2019

Kaila

Cumings

on the Web

KailaCumings

Knives.com

Instagram:

@KailaCumings

YouTube Channel:

Kaila Cumings

Facebook:

KailaCumings

Top-Left: Kaila in

her shop hogging away

steel to find the knife

underneath.

Top-Right: A unique,

cleaver-like knife

created by Kaila in

her shop.

believe that a female could genuinely

be interested in knifemaking or have a

love and a passion for knives.

I’ve never felt the need to prove myself

to anyone though. People are going to

think what they want no matter what.

All I can do is just work hard, focus on

myself, and constantly try to grow and

learn. When I first started out there

weren’t a lot of females that I knew of,

it’s a very male-dominated industry,

and the whole reason I started doing

knife reviews was to try and get more

females involved in the community.

After a short while, I decided I wanted

to try making knives myself and just fell

in love with the whole process. I post

videos and pictures with the hope that

other women and kids will be inspired

and get involved. Overall though, the

knife community has taken me in with

open arms.

KI: Do you have one “prized” knife that

you cherish above all others?

KC: When I first started out doing knife

reviews on YouTube, I remember doing

a review on the CRKT Minimalist by

Alan Folts. He had apparently seen my

review and ended up making a custom

Minimalist just for me, with custom

engraving on it that matches my side

tattoo. I treasure that knife so much.

It’s definitely one of the most prized

knives I own.

Final Thoughts

KI: Where do you see yourself in five

years? In 15 years?

KC: It’s so hard to say where I actually see

myself in the future because there is so

much I want to accomplish and do. I want

to see the world, inspire people, grow and

learn. I want to keep working hard building

my knife business and learn as much as

possible. Constantly growing and evolving

as a maker.

KI: Finally, using only three words, how

would you describe yourself?

KC: Complex, headstrong and untamed.

Knives Illustrated would like to thank

Kaila for taking us inside her shop,

discussing what it’s like for a woman in the

knifemaking world and her experiences

thriving on “Naked and Afraid.” KI

full-time job? Where can the public see

and purchase some of your work?

KC: I have been a full-time knifemaker

for about 5 years now. I am by no means

rich or well-o­, but I consider myself very

lucky that I get to wake up every day and

go to a job that I am beyond-passionate

about, and you can see my work on any

of my social media platforms.

KI: Not necessarily thought of as a

woman’s profession, do you presently

or did you ever get any resentment

from fellow male knifemakers? Or

have your experiences interacting with

fellow craftsmen been positive?

KC: I’ve had a lot of good experiences

and a lot of bad experiences but being

a female in this industry can be very

hard. I have people that tell me daily

“You’re so lucky,” “You must have it so

easy,” “People probably only follow

you for your looks and not your work.”

The truth is I have to work twice as hard

because I am a female. When I first

started out, I had people question my

motives and thought I was just doing it

for attention or something, because for

some reason it was hard for people to

“I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN A SURVIVAL SITUATION IS KEEPING A LEVEL HEAD ...”

20 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED • JULY/AUGUST 2019 knivesillustrated.com