Patta was founded in 2004 by Edson Sabajo and Guillaume ‘Gee’ Schmidt. Their mutual love for music and sneakers brought them regularly abroad, where they hunted for the best pairs. Not only for themselves, but also for their community in Amsterdam. The constant supply of sneakers that were unavailable in the Netherlands eventually became the foundation of their first shop: Patta. Named after the Surinamese word for shoe, Patta is a nod to the origins of the founders.
Today, Patta is an internationally respected black-owned business with shops in Amsterdam, London and Milan. In addition, they have their own clothing line, a production and audio platform (Patta Soundsystem), a running team (Patta Running Team), and a foundation – the Patta Foundation – which focuses specifically on reaching young people through music, culture, sports, fashion, and entrepreneurship.
In the video below, Edson and Gee look back on the development of Patta. For the Gallery Wall, which was especially designed to give the brand a place in the Sneakers Unboxed exhibition, they tell anecdotes about a number of sneakers and shoes that did or did not make it to the wall.
Interview with Guillaume “Gee’ Schmidt and Edson Sabajo, founders of Patta, 2022 Camera & editing: Jordan Soediono Courtesy of Patta
More Videos
Durability and the wildly complex anatomy of a sneaker
Why are the CO2 emissions of sneaker production so high? And what can be done about it?
Dive Deeper into Sneaker Culture, Watch This
Nowadays, sneaker culture is a global phenomenon, but it was born locally, even before the rise of the internet. The series Sole Origins takes you to the cities that have had a great impact on this.
