About me, Akke

I was raised in an eco-minded, professional sports family, where jewelry and fashion weren’t important. When I was little, we had a macrobiotic way of life and my parents practiced both social professions in addition to their passion for a natural lifestyle and athletics.

From a young age, I felt different from others around me. I developed a fascination for everything that glitters: glamour, fashion, and rock ’n roll. I started expressing myself as different through my outfits. 

Just be yourself, you'll be silly enough

is what I've often heard when I wore my jeans inside out or made combinations with my often unusual accessories. I noticed that my creations were liked by others, who got inspired by my outfits.

When I was a teenager, thrifting started attracting me a lot. I loved the surprise aspect of not knowing what I would find. All findings tell their unique story, something to me so inspiring.

New shapes and compositions, arising by connecting various, often contrasting materials, have always captivated me.

I wanted to follow my creative calling

Like the rest of my family, I used to be an athlete. Instead of being a professional sportsperson, I wanted to follow my creative calling. This was what I wanted and where I felt I could add something. For that mission, my sports experience taught me discipline and to never give up. Mastering life’s hurdles with confidence, especially when life is challenging, is what sports trained me as well. I went my way back then, and I decided to go my way in my career as well. 

I started studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht (NL), where I graduated in fashion and textile design. I did my internship in the design studio and manufactory of a Dutch accessories label in Bali, where I learned a lot about the accessory business as well as about different cultures. After living and working for a few years on this special island, I launched my first accessory collection in Amsterdam. Not so long after, I longed for another environment, for a new creative space, and got fascinated by Berlin’s buzz. After transferring my work studio and home base to Berlin in 2005, and working on several creative projects, I began my career as a jewelry and accessory designer with the AKKESOIR debut collection in 2009. Shortly thereafter, the press and customers took notice of the label and AKKESOIR was born.

Life has been turned upside down, for all of us in recent years. I concentrated on other projects as well I became a mother to a gem of a daughter.

Now I'm back on my AKKESOIR track because I missed creating my jewelry, as that's when I am in my magic:

Making people shine with AKKESOIR 

Akke' favorite pieces