Hanneke Frankema became the European Champion end of the summer. Not the first victory in her career and perhaps not the last, but it is a very special one. In 2019, barely a month after I started my job as Marketing & Communication officer at Marginpar, I met Hanneke. Dutch floral design champion and an extraordinary woman. We had agreed to meet for an interview. Nice content for our site I thought. Nice company to work with, Hanneke thought. And so it happened.
Hanneke Frankema's Favorites
We talked about the 2020 European Cup. Whether we would be involved. Naturally! The competition for the best floral designer in Europe was postponed from 2020 to 2021. From 2021 to 2022. And now it finally took place. Not that we have been sitting still in the meantime. Photo shoots, workshops, magazine designs, and recently an amazing show in Las Vegas! Thanks to her partner and photographer Nico Alsemgeest, everything has been beautifully captured on camera. In the past three years, our contact has become more and more intense and we can say that we know quite well what Hanneke's favorite flowers are from our assortment. Let's dive in.
Color
Hanneke's signature is easily recognizable: color! We have seen very few designs in just white and natural tones. And with good reason, because when you are on stage, you want it to stand out. So you regularly see Clematis Amazing® Kyiv, Craspedia Paintball™ Pop, Scabiosa Scoop®, and Gloriosa Fifty Shades.
Innovation
Like every designer, Hanneke is delighted with new varieties. Before new varieties are launched on the market, they are first thoroughly tested. This happens in our test center, but also by designers. Hanneke is one of the designers who is the first to receive something new. The other day she surprised me when she and Max van de Sluis discovered a color in the Gloriosa Fifty Shades Mix in Las Vegas that I had not yet come across. A burgundy one, which, on inquiry at the farm, is indeed very rare in the mix. This particular color Gloriosa can also be spotted in her designs at the Europa Cup.
.jpg "Marginpar collabration with hanneke frankema")
Details
Another typical feature of Hanneke's work is her eye for detail. Something we at Marginpar can very much appreciate, and recognize. Talinum 'Long John', for example, is a favorite, and we also often see the little fluff balls of Clematis Amazing® Kibo.
Just a step further
One does not get to the top just like that. One step harder, further, bigger. Hanneke is a master at that and is not afraid to ask us for help. I like that, a challenge from time to time. Fortunately, we have colleagues on the farms who think the same way. I love that. The varieties Hanneke used only grow on our partner farms in Tanzania, but we are one team. So when Hanneke asked if the Clematis Amazing® Miami could be a bit longer, so that it would fit better into the design, we (by exception) arranged it. From 70 cm to 120 cm. Special boxes had to be made as we do not normally transport anything of this length. The result looked fantastic. We are looking forward to all the beautiful things to come because by now we also know: Hanneke is born to create. Standing still? She doesn't do that.
