This story comes from the Highsnobiety Magazine, available from retailers around the world and our online store. It has been updated to include the latest products from Patta available at the Highsnobiety Shop.
There are certain brands that own their towns: Supreme, New York; PALACE, London. Amsterdam is undoubtedly Patta territory. Founded as a store by Edson Sabajo and Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt in 2004, the company has since transformed into one of the most legit streetwear labels with an influence that stretches internationally.
As its founders would readily tell you, Patta was born “out of love and necessity rather than profit and novelty.” Its success is traceable to the community at its core, rather than fanciful marketing schemes. From Nike to C.P. Company, Patta’s list of collaborators offers proof of its standing as a true global brand. Yet despite its growth over the years, Patta is a company that has never lost sight of the family aspect that sets it apart as a truly unique proposition. We caught up with the people behind the scene who continue to make Patta what it is today.
Fats Shariff, Production Manager
“In 37 years of doing this, I have never met a company and group of people like this. The company is a family. They welcome and value new members to the growing family, and that is special. This family pushes you to be better in every aspect of yourself.”
Halima Awale, Operations Assistant
“Patta is its own culture, where you can be creative and entrepreneurial, artistic, you name it. You can work hard and play hard in the same place. It’s a type of working environment I haven’t found anywhere else.”
Guillaume Schmidt, Co-founder
“We are what we say, and we say what we are. However simple that sounds, it isn’t. Simple things are the hardest anyways.”
Lee Stuart, Brand Director
“Patta is one of the only Black-owned streetwear companies. It started when this sneaker thing and this hip-hop thing were both tiny, just out of love for and from the heart of these tiny subcultures. That it’s grown like this and still upholds the values from back then is what makes Patta special.”
JeanPaul Paula, Creative Director and Artist
“Amsterdam has a certain kind of energy, an essence of how we work with each other as a community and live together. And Patta resonates with the essence of that. It’s one of the few last places in Amsterdam where you can actually go and get the Amsterdam experience. Be it love, be it community, be it warmth. At Patta all of these things are possible and welcome.”
Agnes Montecinos Muñoz, Stylist
“Patta created a space for me to be myself as a creative that made me feel protected. They saw my potential and continuously wanted me to feel seen on bigger platforms. The guys who run it kinda feel like uncles to me. It’s a ‘when you fuck with her, you fuck with me’ type beat.”
Piet Langeveld, Material Color Researcher
“They are unique in their dedication to people. People are first at Patta.”
Bonne Reijn, Gallerist and Co-founder of Bonne Suits
“The social aspect of Patta and how it takes care of its people in Amsterdam is unique. It has had a profound influence on people’s lives, including mine and my business. It’s not just parties and being cool. If you are a young person in Amsterdam trying to make stuff happen, the brand will be there to help you grow. “
Bodil Quedraogo, Visual Artist and Designer
“Patta is unique in their belief in people and their trust. That’s a really special gift that they have.”
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