Of course, we all know Bastiaan Woudt (b. 1987, Netherlands), a high-end Dutch art photographer from Alkmaar. You can see him running up and down the stairs of his sleek dark cave, aka his studio and home to his recently established business - 1605 Collective.

For 10 years Bastiaan, with the help of the camera and post-production techniques, has been creating elegant monochrome symphonies with this, sharing his contemporary view on the classical composition and providing the spectator with a unique aesthetic experience. In addition to his art career, last year, he also refined his business side. Equipped with refined taste, strong work ethics, in addition to his entrepreneurial edge, he founded 1605 Collective: a publishing house and art platform. Shortly after its start, art and photography books crafted there, have been already embellishing homes, design studios and business spaces around the world. And this is only the beginning of Bastiaan's journey. 

Having both artistic and entrepreneurial sides, Woudt worked hard on laying a foundation for 1605 Collective. Being a platform that celebrates high aesthetics and showcases new and established artists, the space is also a publishing house, a webshop and a source of inspiration for everyone who shares Bastiaan Woudt's deep-rooted love for fine art books and flawless minimalistic design items of splendid quality and with an exclusive feel. If you are looking for unique inspiration, an art read, or willing to discover alluring fresh talents, 1605collective.com is the platform for you.

Always impeccably dressed in a monochrome palette, you see Janneke as soon as you walk upstairs in the office of 1605 Collective. Sitting in front of a big screen with Photoshop and InDesign tabs popping up, interchanging rapidly with different images and fonts, you guess almost immediately, Janneke Schrey (b. 1986, Germany/Netherlands) is the heart of the company - its creative director.  

With a strong interest in fashion and a background in Design and Photography, since a very young age, she has always been fascinated by the beauty in the details of one of her grandfather's publicity agencies and shapes, forms and blueprints of the office of her other grandfather, an architect. "Fondness of high-end aesthetics and design runs in the family" - explains Janneke, whose mother is an architectural designer and great great grandfather operated a printing industry in Haarlem in the 60s.

When she was 17, her future career path was already crystal clear. "I wanted to be a graphic designer, so that's how I ended up at Grafisch Lyceum Amsterdam (now Mediacollege Amsterdam)". After years of studies and work experience in the field, Janneke opened a concept fashion store in Alkmaar (NL) where her love for Scandinavian design, innovative approach and creative ideas intersected. "Clothing is a self-expression just like art. The way you dress tells about your personality and your oeuvre. That's why there is more to the clothing that meets the eye", states Janneke, an admirer of Martin Margiela and Acne Studios. Along with an appreciation for trends and fashion, Janneke's strategic set of mind and passion for brand development, made her store stand out from the crowd. With her exceptional eye for detail, she created an environment that wasn't just about clothing. It became an aesthetically alluring place where design, fashion and elegance go hand in hand.

10 years later, when Janneke had 6 shops, 2 awards (Best Retail Innovation in 2013 and Retailer of the Year in 2017) and a team of 20 people to manage. The fashion enterprise got more popular than she had imagined. However, for an ambitious and creative entrepreneur like Janneke, this wasn't enough. In 2018, her zeal for beautiful images led her to a renowned Amsterdam Fotoacademie where she completed a semester of studies. Following this path, in 2019, she started working alongside her already favourite photographer, Bastiaan Woudt. This was a pivotal moment when two entrepreneurial and artistic minds merged. In 2020, together with Bastiaan, she founded 1605 Collective: a platform focused on creating, conceiving, designing and publishing high-quality art books and representing the work of talented artists within these publications.

Alex Blanco (b. 1988 Ukraine) has a background in Photography & Journalism. In 2018, she joined the Master's Programme in Film & Photographic Studies at Leiden University and focused on how gender is represented in the print media in the Netherlands. 

Alongside her studies, she continued practicing photography creating the "Meat, Fish and Aubergine Caviar", project which communicates the relationship with her parents.

In addition to her academic and photographic career, Alex has been always interested in photobooks, as the main source of inspiration.

Being creative and technically savvy helped Alex to find her dream job at 1605 Collective. In the company, she is in charge of content. Read her exclusive interviews and art related articles in the Magazine section and follow 1605 Collective on Instagram to recharge your inspiration by specially prepared by Alex posts.