The Journey of Transforming a Hobby into a Lifestyle with Hanz Driven CEO Roby Albertini
December 15 2023 – Marko Grujic
Welcome to the world of Hanz Driven, a unique fusion of diecast passion and streetwear style that reshapes the landscape of diecast collecting with an interesting style.
Founded in April 2023, Hanz Driven isn't just a diecast shop and motor streetwear brand – it's a lifestyle movement.
With innovative ideas that challenge conventional perceptions, this brand is on a mission to redefine collecting diecast cars as more than just a hobby; it's a way of life.
Additionally, Hanz Driven introduces a Japanese-inspired clothing line, each piece infused with a rich background story, effectively transforming fashion into a narrative experience.
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Roberto “Roby” Albertini, the CEO and Co-founder of Hanz Driven. Roby is the visionary behind this groundbreaking concept, and we delve into the inspiration, challenges, and triumphs that are shaping Hanz Driven.
The Concept Behind Hanz Driven
Q: Can you share the inspiration behind the idea of transforming diecast car collecting from a "hobby" to a "lifestyle"? What drove you to challenge this perception?
A: I realized that people who collect diecast cars like me, a significant group being adults – many who grew up collecting Hot Wheels - wanted to enjoy collecting in a way beyond just being in their basement or garage looking at their treasures or chatting with people about the “hobby” in the Social Media platforms.
There is more to it!
Like being out and about, talking to people about it at car meets, in the office, taking their pocket car (the car they choose to carry with them on any given day) for a “ride,” and show others.
I thought moving away from the hobby concept and blending that into people’s lifestyle would help eliminate the stigma of “They still play with cars” and enable people to connect naturally and effortlessly with others who share the passion.
Fusion of Diecast and Streetwear
Q: How did the idea of combining diecast passion with streetwear style come about? Were there any specific influences or experiences that led to this unique fusion?
A: With thinking of turning the hobby of collecting into a lifestyle, I realized that we had to do it in style (Roby laughs), and there was barely anyone making clothing for diecast collectors other than some rare Hot Wheels clothing pieces popping up here and there from time to time.
With that in mind and other motor streetwear brands making some interesting items, I saw an opportunity to create Hanz Driven with the goal of being way beyond a diecast shop, a Brand leading a lifestyle movement.
It was when the 1/64 Life apparel line came to mind. We have just started the line with a few pieces, and it’s doing very well.
There are some interesting ideas in the works that go beyond style and will play with the functionality of the garments. More on that soon…
The Narrative in Fashion
Q: The Japanese-inspired clothing line with background stories is a distinctive feature of Hanz Driven. How do you believe storytelling enhances the fashion experience, and what inspired the narratives behind the clothing?
A: Oh, great question! Not all our clothes tell a story. In fact that’s the Hantsu Driven series that has a storyline. We are currently at the first stage of introducing some of the characters and giving an overview of the setting, in a futuristic Japan.
I grew up playing Magic the Gathering and always enjoyed the concept of playing the Trading Cards Game and, at the same time, learning more about the characters in the game with a piece of story embedded on each card. That made the experience so much more interesting than just playing the game and gave the images a lot more meaning, not to mention the deeper connection that players made with some of the cards.
Our Hantsu series is very visual in terms of the graphics found on the garments. I thought there was so much more to tell people than simply putting a cool image on a garment, so I had the idea to add the concept of storytelling to the apparel line.
We have just launched, and you can read their backstories on the product description of each item in our site.
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Community Building and Future Plans
Q: Building a community around a lifestyle brand is crucial. How has the response been from the community so far, and what efforts are you making to foster a sense of belonging among Hanz Driven enthusiasts? Additionally, what can we expect from Hanz Driven in the future?
A: We are making friends on a daily basis, whether among the Social Media platforms we are present or events we attend. In fact, we have been chatting with people across the globe.
It’s super funny that they message us in their own language, and I am actually learning different languages using the Google Translator. I have been writing in French and Japanese a lot lately.
We have been feeling very welcome by the community, and similarly, we engage with them and make them as welcome as possible at the events we attend. We received lots of feedback from people who said they keep coming back to shop on our site or at the events we attend just because we are nice people (Roby laughs).
We are truly available to answer any question, which definitely tends to be the case with people new to the world of diecast. They have lots of questions and find overwhelming the amount of products and brands out there, and we will cover that in our next blog.
We also co-hosted a Diecast Culture Show last summer at The Trove Club and are currently working on hosting another much larger event in Richmond in the upcoming summer of 2024.
We are also super excited to be attending the Vancouver Auto Show in March 2024. This will be the first event we will be bringing Event Exclusive and Limited edition apparel.
Q: Thanks Roby for chatting with us. Look forward to hearing what is next!
A: Thank you. Stay driven!
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