Niek

His story

Niek is the artist of our Breda sock. Niek's life is like a story from a movie. He has been homeless for seventeen years of his life. Years of sleeping under a bridge, living in a forest and traveling around our country while walking. Alienation and little faith in a "good" future made him prefer to be homeless. The thought that many sometimes have of disappearing completely off the radar, that thought gave Niek hands and feet. He did not want to be helped by any of the many relief organizations in the Netherlands. Being a burden to as few people as possible and worrying a lot about his life kept him going.

Art has been a constant in his life. He himself finds that art makes him less daydreamy. For example, by figuring out how a portrait, an animal or a landscape is put together. What style and theme fits it? These questions make his environment more tangible. As a homeless person, you are often shunned and few seek genuine connection. Art was always nearby and helped him "talk" about life issues and his feelings.

For Let's do Goods, Niek created a painting of the streets where he walked endlessly, unobtrusively and anonymously. We got to know Niek as a gentle, intelligent man full of principles and ideas. We are proud that Niek wanted to join our project to design together the sock of Breda.