There are very few brands in the world that have seamlessly woven streetwear, music, culture and community together like Patta. The Amsterdam-based brand, founded by Guilliaume Schmidt and Edson Sabajo, redefined streetwear culture and played a key role in putting the Dutch city on the map as a global fashion hub. But what sets Patta apart is that’s it’s never just been a brand—it’s a movement. Its identity has been strongly rooted in community, representation and bridging global cultures. They frequently champion inclusivity and diversity, and what’s more, giving back to the community is very important to them. The Patta Foundation invests in youth programs, education and initiatives aimed to aiding those who have been marginalised.
When it comes to bringing cultural gaps, Patta’s roots in hip hop have played a large role in its popularity today and the credit goes to its co-founder Edson Sabajo, who started his professional journey as a DJ. From regular collaborations with artists to curated events, Patta’s cultural impact on the street culture in Europe cannot be understated. Recently, Edson was in India for a Converse event hosted by VegNonVeg, to celebrate a brand new Patta x Converse collection, which is extra special as it commemorates the European brand’s 20th anniversary.
We had the chance to chat with the creative genius about his journey from being a DJ in the ’80s who translated his love for hip hop and streetwear fashion into a boutique sneaker store, which then went on to become a global success. Here’s an excerpt from our chat:
In Conversation with Patta Co-Founder Edson Sabajo:
Q: What inspired your love for streetwear fashion?
Edson Sabajo: Streetwear fashion is one of my hobbies. Basically, I got into Hip Hop in (19)84-85 and back then, there wasn’t as much access to the stars like there is now. There were only record covers, radio or television, so for me, the inspiration came from what was being worn in those video clips or record covers by people like LL Cool J, Fab Boyz and more. For example, I specifically remember seeing Fatboy (Slim) wearing a custom-made Louis Vuitton Dappen Dan Leather Jacket on one of his covers. Back then, nobody knew who Dapper Dan was, but through rap records, you could get to know about him. Back in the 80s, there were a lot of drug dealers up in Harlem and the rappers, they used to look up to those guys and think, ‘yo, I want to be like that’. So, if you want to be like them, you also want to dress like them and that’s how I got into this hip-hop fashion. I wanted to dress like them and wear what they got on. But you couldn't get it in Europe. So, if you wanted to get your hands on it, you had to go to the States, buy some certain pieces from here and there, combine it and then make it your own. And that’s how I got into it.
For instance, when the Jordan 3 came out in 1988, in Europe we didn’t know about it. I remember first seeing the shoe in this clip from KRS-One’s track, “My Philosophy”, where he’s getting out of his car and he’s got on this shoe. And it’s a black and white video and there was no (Nike) swoosh on it. When I first saw it, I was like whoa, what’s that? I paused the video and tried to get a closer look to figure out what it was. And later, I discovered that some more rap artists were also wearing the same shoe on covers and back covers. So, I cut out the picture and in ’89, when I went to New York, I took the cutout with me to all the sneaker stores in Manhattan asked if they had the pair. And they were like, ‘nah, this is from last year. What are you talking about? But we got the Jordan 4.’ So, the first thing I got was the Jordan 4, but when I came back to Amsterdam with the Jordan 4, I had on sneakers that nobody else had—we called them neck breakers. Cause you break your neck when you see them. With time, this interest and genuine love for clothing and sneakers evolved and here we are today.
Q: How did you decide to make the switch from DJing to fashion? How much did your career in music make an impact on your fashion choices?
Edson Sabajo: I never switched. I always play—the only thing is, I just play less now. I still play records—you know, you cannot just leave it because it’s a part of you. It’s like me saying, ‘why do people in Mumbai not honk anymore?’ People honk—they honk all the time, everybody honks. It’s the same for me—it’s not a career switch, I intertwined the two. For example, we have the Patta Sound System where we do a lot of DJ gigs and collabs with companies like Marshall or other rappers.
I always use my DJ stuff and music with our company because I’ve combined the two rather than switching. I still get booked as a DJ and we still do a lot of music-related stuff with the brand because it’s the natural thing to do. At Patta, we started with selling sneakers. But at one point, we also started making t-shirts with our logo and they started selling, so we were like ‘yo, let's fuck it! Let's do our own clothing, wholesale selection.’ We didn't know nothing, man. We just started going to this factory in Portugal saying, ‘yo, we want to make this’ and the guy asked us for samples and we just said, ‘fuck that, just make it’. We literally learned the right way for this later and now we have a whole team dedicated to apparel.
Q: How has the concept of streetwear changed from when you first started to today?
Edson Sabajo: Some things have changed, but now there's also add ons. So, for the normal consumer now, you can actually go to an online store and buy stuff in the same place. Imagine you’ve seen something you like on Hypebeast or whatever, and you can get your hands on it pretty easily, sometimes at the click of a button. Back in the day, you had to go to one store for the shirt, a different one for the pants, and another one to buy the hat. You can still do that, but now everything is available online and sometimes on the same platform. That’s the only thing that’s changed.
But, I ask you, do you like it (online shopping)? Cause I still believe that the essence is to go to the store, see it, try it, get a feel for it and then buy it, instead of just pushing a button. When you go to a store, you actually get to experience what you’re buying, how its looking on you, how it fits you and how you could combine it with the existing things in your wardrobe. Sometimes, I will like a certain shoe, but if it doesn’t fit me right, I won’t buy it.
Q: What was your vision when you founded Patta? Did you see it having such a large cultural impact and how do you balance this with business?
Edson Sabajo: My partner Guillaume Schmidt and I became friends in 1998 and then in 2002, we had a little idea and we founded Patta together. We began building our company and working towards success and at the time I was already into streetwear and sneakers majorly, so for me, it felt like a natural extension. In fact, back in the 90s, I had so many of those ‘neckbreaker’ sneakers that I had bought elsewhere that people would stop and be like, ‘damn, what does he have on?”.
So, when I began travelling, I came back with shoes nobody had seen in Europe and I already had my hands on those crazy ass dunks and more than a hundred to 200 pairs of sneakers by the end of 1999.
Q. How many sneakers do you own now?
Like 2, 000 or something-- it's just ridiculous. It's not cool. Like, it's also like an addiction, you know? I can only talk with people that also have the same amount of pairs, so that we can understand each other. We can relate to each other. If I talk to a guy who owns 200 pairs, I'm like, you have your own small store. I got a warehouse!
Q. Did you see Patta having like such a large cultural impact?
Edson Sabajo: Yeah, because, that is what we do. We already it back then too, only on a smaller scale. What I’m doing now is just making friends and connecting. People are talking about Community building now—but we were running Amsterdam already in the 90s. So, far it has been a journey of natural growth. The only thing is, it is going faster than I was expecting… I thought it would take 30-40 years to become a global brand. But, it’s been crazy now. I’m still surprised to know that even when I come to India, people actually know me here. They be like, ‘yo, this is what you do, this is your wife, etc.’ For me, this is crazy but I am getting used to it… but also, I’m really happy people are actually feeling the brand and the stuff we do.
And you know, it's not always for the money. We have a moral code and we love helping one another, based on that, I’m happy to see our fan base growing. It’s been an absolute blessing.
Q: How would you define Patta's role in the global street wear scene today?
Edson Sabajo: Damn. I mean it's obvious. You know, I always just say Google us! But with that being said, we get a lot of respect from our peers and I think that's very important. Of course, the fans love our stuff, but we also hear praise from other people, other brands like Nike and are made an example of at conferences. People from the industry give us that recognition for our contributions to streetwear culture.
Q: How do you stay inspired and who are some of your biggest inspirations or influences?
Edson Sabajo: I get inspired a lot through the Patta Academy that we set up a couple of years ago. I also get very inspired by travelling—so stuff like a visit to India not only inspires me but also gives me a lot of ideas. In fact, even the people around me—my wife, my brother, my family—they inspire me. Especially, my parents, they inspire me the most. They came through on a boat to make a better life for us and I’m really glad I didn’t fail them. Now that I am a parent too, I understand all the sacrifices they made for us to grow up a certain way.
Q. Were they okay with you picking to explore a career in fashion?
Edson Sabajo: All parents, especially the older ones, as a kid, they want you to be a lawyer or a doctor and not get into a creative field or build a brand. they want you as a kid to be a lawyer, a doctor. And nothing in the creative field or like having a brand.
But a funny incident changed that… you see, we’re from Suriname and when the President of Suriname came to Amsterdam three years ago, we met with him and we gave the Patta Wave sneaker. The minute he opened the box, he was blown away, because Patta in Suriname means sneaker. Connecting the dots, he said, ‘yo, you using a pseudonym, typical name on a Nike sneaker!’ When he went back to the Parliament two weeks later and had to talk about his trip, and he spoke about our brand and how it impressed him. So that was very motivating and inspiring.
Q: Can you tell us about your latest partnership with Converse? How did this collaboration come to be and where do the two brands align, according to you?
Edson Sabajo: We've been working with Converse since the beginning… we first collaborated on our five-year anniversary and we’ve work on a collab project with at least one company every year. We have a really good relationship with the people behind the brand—and that’s something we always do with our collabs, we always want to get to know the people behind the brand and that’s how we pick our projects. Our 2005 collaboration with converse was successful and so, we thought we should make it happen again.
Q: What’s been your biggest learning so far?
Edson Sabajo: Don't judge a book by its cover and always chase your dreams—but don’t just chase them, live your dreams. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. But if it doesn’t, then don’t be crying. Just find a way to make it happen. It’s very important to just keep on going… don’t be discouraged.
Q. How have you been liking India so far? What has been your favourite thing to explore in the country?
Edson Sabajo: Great. But I need to explore more Indian food! That's what I need to do! I need to eat more fucking samosas, man! And some paneer and naan bread. I need to get more food!
Q: Lastly, can you share three styling rules one should follow?
Edson Sabajo: There’s only one rule—that there are no rules to streetwear! Come on, don’t give me this shit! There’s no putting anyone in boxes, especially with streetwear culture, never put stuff in boxes. The only advice I have is that don’t lace up your shoes too tight. But if you want to do that too, cool, I have no judgement but my only thing is, don't make it too tight!
