Artist Henk Schiffmacher

From Amsterdam to the other side of the world: to say the name Henk Schiffmacher is to say tattoos. Henk—internationally known as Hanky Panky—grew into one of the most famous tattoo artists in the Netherlands. Throughout his long career, big names like Kurt Cobain, Lady Gaga, members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Lemmy from Motörhead have all been under his needle.

But Henk is much more than just a tattoo artist. He is an artist, author, photographer, and collector. Above all, he is a man of the world. His fascination with tattoos took him to all corners of the globe, where he delved into the stories, traditions, and cultures behind tattooing. Over the years, he has also built up an enormous collection centered on the history of the tattoo.

And yet, his home base is still in Amsterdam. In the middle of De Pijp, you will find his tattoo shop, where he is still surrounded by the people and stories of the city every single day.

A mark of his own

Henk didn't have to look far for a recognizable image for his sock. The design is centered around his own signature logo. A symbol that once arose from a practical problem. “I found my name and signature too long, so I, just like Prince at the time, adopted a logo,” Henk laughs.

Thus, his own mark was created: simple, distinctive, and by now inextricably linked to Henk and his work. For this collaboration, the logo takes center stage on a sock that bears his signature as a result.

But Henk’s participation in Let’s do Goods is not just about the design.

What happens close to home

Anyone who lives and works in the heart of Amsterdam also sees a different side of the city. For Henk, homelessness is not a subject that takes place somewhere far away. “It hits close to home. I see a lot of it around me here in Amsterdam.”

It is therefore not the first time he has committed himself to people who are homeless. When we ask him about it, a classic Henk answer follows immediately: “I’ve even had my photo taken in my underwear for homelessness, haha.”

With this, he refers to a previous campaign for De Regenboog Groep, for which he drew attention to something very basic: clean underwear for people who are homeless.

And it is precisely that basic need that Henk finds important. A clean pair of socks, underwear, warmth, or a place to take care of yourself might be taken for granted if you have a home, but that is far from the case for everyone. “It is human that people simply have basic needs. That is why I am participating in this initiative.”

Henk x Let’s do Goods

And that is exactly where Henk Schiffmacher and Let’s do Goods come together. A man who has spent his life meeting people and their stories, with a bold design and a clear reason for participating. The result is a sock with Henk’s signature logo and a story that goes beyond the design alone.

Because for every pair we sell, we donate a pair to someone who is homeless.

1 bought = 1 donated.