About

Maartje van Nimwegen was born in Rotterdam and has lived in Delft, Haarlem, The Hague, Antwerp and Amsterdam. She graduated from Amsterdam’s Rietveld Academy in 2003 and now works as a freelance art director / designer. She likes her work to be about people in groups and their common interests. Her own interests include, but aren’t limited to: sausage dogs; Twin Peaks; musicals; water parks; gabber punk; brides (though she swears she’ll never get married); martial arts and Bas Rutten; Illuminati; Yayoi Kusama; Bohemian Grove; Voices; Herb Lubalin; cakes, candy and food in general;  gangster rappers; dogs; collectors; Chloe Sevigny.

These interests influence the job Maartje does, focusing on art direction, graphic design and fashion. This combination gives her an eclectic portfolio. Holding on to a concept is the most important aspect of her work, whose clients include Marjan Pejoski (fashion designer); Kunstgebouw (Art & Culture Foundation); and Angelique Hoorn (Agency for stylists & hair and make-up). Sometimes, Maartje likes to work on voluntary projects together with Julien Rademaker. Under the name Julesfrancoise they have created Butterfly sweaters and Paper, Rock, Scissor shirts. Find out more about this fruitful pact soon on julesfrancoise.com.

Between 1994-98, she studied at fashion school (Fashion and Clothing) in The Hague, graduating in design and styling, focusing on the squat and free party techno scene of the time. This is where her love of fashion began; it continued in Antwerp, where she was a pattern-drawing intern for Eke Hoste, helping out at fashion shows for the likes of Walter van Beierendonck and Jurgi Persoons. She has also interned for Dirk Bikkembergs, again in Antwerp, and Amsterdam window-dressing company Beekwilder.

At the same time Maartje was experiencing fashion, she was also becoming drawn to presentation, magazines and fonts, and so, between 1998-2003, she studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, where she specialised in graphic design. There, she worked for Praktijk Buro (project and communication bureau). This style-design combination that she experienced here makes her want to work with fashion in a graphic way, and this kind of thing – art directing photos for fashion shoots, for example – is what she’d like to do more of, because she likes developing ideas and systems, making concepts give meaning to the visuals.

Right now, she is working in a studio in the centre of Amsterdam, surrounded by five beautiful young creative men. Although this is naturally the perfect environment, glamorous assignments in foreign countries will not be refused.

Service with a smile!

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