Dutch-born Hanneke combines entrepreneurial spirit with visual arts. Hanneke studied Fashion & Branding at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and Communication Visuelle at ESAAT (France). After her studies she worked for her father’s firm, where she was responsible for the coordination of several projects in Urban Development. During this period she also did freelance design work, where she met Niko in 2004, and started The Hanazuki Company in 2005. While studying Hanneke developed an interest in crafting, with a focus on handmade artisanship across a range of materials – from crocheting with yarns and fabrics of all types, to sculpting and building with foam, plaster and wood. Never letting go of this handmade sensibility, Hanneke combines the day-to-day management of Thisisarobot with the development of character based IP and the organization and execution of workshops aimed at kids and teens that encourage the expression of individual creativity through hands-on artistic creations.
