“I’ve been making hats for almost 20 years now. I started off making them for mates when we went skiing – unique ones so we could recognize each other on the slopes! I began by using material that looked like old boiled wool but then realized that I could just as well use real old jumpers and boil them to create a better effect. The finished hats came out looking really nice and I had such a good reaction from people that I started selling them. I make all of them myself and each one is different depending on the jumper I decide to make it from.”

“I suppose you could call me a self-made sewer. I first started making clothes at 18 when I was involved in the gallery – we made clothes for other people. I bought a coupense book and started making my own patterns, which I love. When I started making the hats, I decided to brand them instantly. A friend came up with the name Shrunks and it seemed ideal because of the boiled wool. We had been using 100% Pullover. At first, it was very much a Haarlem thing and I made the hats instantly recognizable by sewing in a huge label at the very top – so it looked like they were inside out. Then I moved the labels to the front so Shrunks was more prominent. They caused a lot of interest and were taken on by Amsterdam design store, Frozen Fountain, to whom I had been selling my photographs for many years.”

That was when Shrunks got really popular and the following years saw Sjackie exporting to England, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden. They even made it as far as Japan, where Shrunks were part of an exhibition featuring Dutch Design. “Since then, I have expanded into making cushions and also other clothing accessories like scarves. They all come under the Shrunks brand because I’m still using old material and textiles to create my products. However these days I am focusing more on the Dutch market and exporting less. I suppose it’s also due to the fact that it’s so hard to find the right manufacturers for my products. Because I make them all myself, it is nearly impossible to find someone else who can make them to the same standard I set myself.”