A Patta Special

Tell me a little bit about where you come from.

I was born in Surinam actually, which used to be a Dutch colony. I was born there, I moved to the Netherlands when I was around two or three years old—my parents moved to the south of Holland, actually, and when I was eighteen I moved to Amsterdam. I did some studying—didn’t work out. So then I started working in a record shop. From a younger age I was starting to do parties in my hometown. I was doing some radio, I was always into music a lot, hip hop, kind of influenced also by my parents, who were into a lot of music. From that, working at the record shop, I started working at a record company, Sony Music. I did that for two years, but you have to understand, I came from a very puristic place, Fat Beats. Purist hip hop, working with friends in the record shop…

No compromises.

No compromises—what’s your taste, debate about it, it’s gotta be real, it’s gotta be good—to a place where it’s all about compromises. And that was just a little before the internet and downloads really got down to the record industry and kinda blew it’s spot. So I worked at the record company for two years, I learned quite a lot. I did marketing and product management for all black music, so I did jazz, but I also did Destiny’s Child, Nas. I did that for two years and then I kinda got fed up. You know, the politics. The balance between stuff that I really liked and stuff that I had to do just for commercial reasons, the balance was getting off. So I chose to stop. When I stopped, I took a couple of weeks off, and I went to New York. At the time, my closest friend Edson was still working at Fat Beats. He’d done that for five years or something like that, so he was looking for something else as well. We got our heads together, like Yo, we want to do something, we want to create something in Amsterdam.

What age were you at this point?

I think I was twenty-three years old when I had the idea, and when the shop opened up I was twenty-four.

So the trip to New York inspired you?

It kind of inspired me, because due to Fat Beats we had a lot of connections here. We knew some of the guys from Supreme, there were stores like Clientele, those types of shops. At that time there was still a lot of hustle and bustle for like, European Air Force 1’s that you couldn’t get here, so they sent me back, I bought a lot of shoes, I took some money off of that so that was great. From that, I built up a lot of connections, and those connections we used when we first opened up the Patta store. So yeah, New York has been inspiring, you know what I mean? Obviously there were sneaker stores in Amsterdam and in the Netherlands before, but not in the way that we did it, you know? Everybody had accounts, everybody did it the official way. We were just going to New York, we went to the Bronx, we went to Jamaica Ave., went to 125th, we went into a store, saw a style that we liked, and we were like OK, you know what? We’re going to buy all of them, what’s the price that you can give us? And we basically just sent that back, whole styles, we did that in every city, every place where I went. That’s what it was, you know? Without accounts, we just started hustling and bustling, which was quite an interesting learning curve. You learn the hard way that your taste is not superior, at all. It was like Yo, this shit is the flyest shit in the world, we’re gonna make it popping, it’s gonna be crazy, oh my man, we’re gonna kill it! And then back home nobody understands, it just sits on the shelf. It’s like, we were hot for two weeks! [laughs] After that, we had to find ways.

“Of course you’ve got to make compromises, it’s not a fairy tale. It’s not like I’m a six-year-old stubborn child. You have to have arguments, you have to have a foundation. You have to prove yourself.”

How do you adapt?

Thing is, for us, obviously retailing was also a means to an end. We always did other stuff. Music is the backbone of a lot of the stuff that we did. We were already organizing parties, we were already people that connected in the city, with illustrators, graphic design people, artists, music people, and DJs, rappers, guys that made music. So we started making mixtapes, started doing small T-shirt runs. We had Pieter, Parra, who was just coming up, he was growing, he started to do collaborations with Nike early, Parra Air Max 1’s and all that stuff. So we started making money in our own way, you know? Self-made stuff.

So, going back a little, how’d you end up finding a space to host all this?

Looking around, you know? We went backwards. We found the space, we signed the lease, and we didn’t have any money. We thought we’d get a bank loan just like that, you know? We thought our business plan is crazy, but then we got shut down everywhere. Basically we got lucky, a friend’s father listened to the plan, he was like “Yo, it’s kinda crazy, but you guys tell it with so much fire. You guys need how much? I’ll give you half.” That’s what we started with.

What about the area you chose, for those who aren’t familiar with Amsterdam?

It was like a little off street, still is. It’s also a financial thing, we couldn’t be in the main street, but we were close to the main street. It’s kind of like a finders keepers type spot. If you know about it, you know about it. Word of mouth is the best thing there is. A lot of the things were a success in the end, but we started with a lot of failure, you know?

Any particularly remarkable failures you can remember?

Well, just buying off of your own taste, like your taste is superior across the world. [laughs] That’s one! Second of all, we’re travelers, so we go to Japan, we go to New York… In Japan it’s very normal to have a store on the first floor, so we had the plan with the store on the first floor—that’s how we call it. The second level. And then downstairs we had a gallery. But people, definitely in Holland, they’re not used to that. It’s like a little, hump, to go over. People were intimidated, because you have to go up a stair, and then there’s two guys sitting there, laughing, back then we were still smoking in the shop. We were basically using it as our living room, you know what I mean? It popped off the first two weeks, but after that we were like, we have to find ways to do it. So we got a friend involved like a year later, the downstairs space became a skate store, that was Ben-G. That worked well, it attracted more people.

What do you think defined the streetwear scene in Amsterdam back then, the demographic you were going for, and where’s it at now?

Well what we bought, we bought all the things that we really like. In Europe running shoes are big, so when you talk about New Balance 1300s, or AirMax’s, AirMax 90’s, especially in those years, those were big shoes. If we could find those in any other colorways that you couldn’t get anywhere else, that was bankable. That was the initial shoes that we could find and sell, flip easily, you know? That’s really at the core of the aesthetic. It’s changed a lot, but running shoes are still the thing.

Do you think people in Amsterdam have caught up with the international styles?

Yeah, well caught up is not even the right word, it’s always been around, you know? In actuality, Amsterdam is a real sneaker hub. Everybody wears a lot of sneakers, girls, guys, it’s a really healthy market. You can see it especially now, you’ve got so many stores there now that kind of do the thing we’re doing. It’s a big market.

What were some of the first collaborations you did that helped get your name out there?

The first collaboration that we did that made noise was Asics. We did an Asics GEL-Lyte III, which wasn’t a popular shoe at all, anywhere. We did a colorway and that kind of blew up. We didn’t really know what we were doing, we did 250 pairs, we thought it was quite risky. But we did everything, we did a jacket with it, instead of a box you’d get the shoes in a backpack. We kind of flipped out on that, it’s like a first album, right? You go hard. So that’s the classic one.

How’d you get hooked up with Asics to begin with?

One of the guys that worked there also worked in another sneaker shop, we kinda kept talking, showed our interest for the model. It’s all personal relationships.

It sounds like a lot of your business opportunities come through your natural network.

Thing is, people have to fight for you, even in big corporate companies, there has to be one person or a couple people that champion you. The same period, also, Pieter started working a lot with Nike, and he had an office upstairs, he was a big friend of ours. So he helped put us on the radar, put us on the map, because we were closely affiliated. After the Asics, the bigger ones were the Converse shoes that we did, and the Nikes. The AirMax 1’s were a really, really big deal.

“We want to be touchable, it doesn’t have to be no cool guy stuff, like we are the knowers of everything.”

Do you find that doing collaborations with what are essentially competitors of one another, does that ever present a kiconflict for you guys?

No, it’s all about point of view. It’s like a kitchen, you don’t want to eat the same meal every day. Also I think if there’s no competitors you can’t stand out. You know what I mean? If you only have Nikes, OK Nike’s the best, but how can you compare? So that’s what I always say to companies, it’s like “Yo, if you only want us to sell you, that’s not gonna happen.” Because, first of all, we want to show that taste is a thing that can go in different levels. It’s called a point of view. We like people we like, and that’s what we want to bring to the customer. That’s what we want to bring to the table, and next to that we want to bring more to the table. That’s always something that’s been very important to us. We always have to be a little bit stubborn, and choose our own path, because brands will try to dictate as soon as they can. Of course you’ve got to make compromises, it’s not a fairy tale. It’s not like I’m a six-year-old stubborn child. You have to have arguments, you have to have a foundation. You have to prove yourself, also. That’s what we’ve tried to do over the years. Obviously your position changes, but at first you have to prove yourself, so the bargaining and the arguments are going to be different after a couple of successful collaborations.

So the stuff that you’re hanging onto, the stuff that you’re keeping integral to the brand, is there a theme to that? When you’re collaborating across different disciplines—music, fashion, design—how does Patta tie it all together?

How it all ties together is that we do it all together. Patta is not a company that is directed by one dictatorial creative, or whatever. We are a small company with a small group of people who are all very much involved on all levels. It can be an intern that has the best ideas. We have a weekly meeting, and everybody can say their speech, you know? When we make collections, we show collections to the whole crew. Even though we might like a couple of pieces most, and we love them, if the arguments of the crew are strong enough, we might have to let go of our babies. Not without a fight, and sometimes tough words are said, but in the end I consider us as a real family company. Within a family you can have really tough arguments, but it’s all for the better of the company, so we have to be very adamant and very vocal that it’s not a solo thing, we’re in this together. That’s what we want to present to people. We want to be touchable, it doesn’t have to be no cool guy stuff, like we are the knowers of everything. What we do know is that we have specific taste, and specific know-how, and we do it in our way, which is not always perfect, but in the end we can all look at each other and say “Hey, we made this choice.”

So how does that come across in the S/S2018 collection, were there any growing pains and arguments about that as it came into being.

In actuality, sometimes you have struggle collections, where people are like “I’m not sure if this is going to work,” but these last two collections when we had the group meeting, actually they were quite fluent. So there’s always logo pieces in there, but, because we went through a different factory, we also have a lot of focus on the quality of pieces. So the cotton is a better cotton, we have a little bit more technical pieces, a pullover jacket, the track suits are a level higher as in details and that kind of stuff. Obviously me, myself, I also like the graphic pieces that Vincent van de Waal (Creative/Artistic director of Patta) makes.

Are those like the all-over patterns?

It’s always a mix, so this time around we do allover prints of leafs, bullets and stripes, but you know, it’s a very wide collection. You can buy a T-shirt with a little P logo on it, or a small Patta logo, and then you can go into the regular collection that has prints, some louder stuff, the drawings from Vincent. What is very important to us is fit, colors. How much can you really talk about, when it’s streetwear? It’s still gonna be sweaters, T-shirts. However what you can do is just have really good consistency in taking really good colors, making sure the placements are right, making sure your typography is in check. Those are the type of things I notice when I look at other things.

Are there other brands that inspire you at the moment?

You know, when you do it you try to make it exciting for yourself, so what we try to do is curate our own taste with whoever we work with. So we made a T-shirt with Sampha, we love his music, we love his album. But at the same time we can also do a project with Oko [Ebombo], a smaller artist from Paris who has been a friend for multiple years. We do work with Dutch hip hop, with Dana Lixenberg, a Dutch photographer. We try to interconnect all those things into this hub of, I guess…taste.

Culture.

Culture—we don’t want to use that word too loosely, because people tend to grab it pretty easily, but for me that’s very important. There always have to be injections of your interest.

What’s the significance of the name, Patta?

The significance is Surinam, actually. The founders, so me and Edson, we both have a Surinamese background. So the Surinamese word Patta means shoe. We started as a sneaker store, right? We sold brands of friends, we sold A New York Thing early, we sold J. Money, those types of little brands from friends that were here, and that’s kind of what we still do, but it all started with the shoe. And it sounds nice. It doesn’t resonate to other people as “shoe,” but it’s street slang in the Netherlands, everybody uses it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Surinamese guy—the Moroccan, the white kid, everybody knows that the Patta is the shoe.

Lastly, I’m curious about what’s up next. Any new collabs in the works, or anything coming up that you’re excited about? Whatever you can tell us, if it’s not too confidential…

[laughs] Yeah we’ve definitely got some big bangers in the works for 2018, which people are gonna be psyched about. We’ve still got a couple of things coming for this year, there are new Vans coming out, there’s a pop-up tour in Asia, Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul. That’s gonna be an adventure, in November. We’re gonna do something with our musical friends from London, a capsule. So loads of stuff, more Mephisto stuff is coming. So yeah. We’ve got some good heaters.

* Lotte Van Raalte's ongoing project explores the way kids perceive and dress themselves. Stay up to date by following her on instagram.

Fashion

Paris Calling

Fashion

How Youssouf Fofana and Jordan Brand are showing up for Paris youth

April 15, 2024

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Nike transformed the Palais Brongniart into the ultimate showcase of Nike AIR, the groundbreaking tech that’s revolutionized athletic performance since its debut in 1978. ‘Nike on Air’ marked the final countdown to the biggest stage in sports, offering a moment to celebrate the hard work and technology that brought it all to life, and unveiling the footwear and apparel the brand’s athletes will don this summer. Guests were given an exclusive preview of the 2024 national uniforms and kits set to grace the fields of play in Paris, alongside a glimpse of the latest innovation in Air technology: a sculpted unit in the upcoming Pegasus Premium, slated for release in 2025.

Nike Air extends beyond performance enhancement, it has become a symbol of individuality for athletes and beyond. Growing up in The Bronx, where the swoosh was as ubiquitous as the jumpman, sneakers acted a form of self-expression and cultural identity. Juliana Sagat, lead designer of women’s footwear product lifestyle, explains that Nike’s athletes similarly seek gear that not only optimizes their performance but also reflects their personalities and experiences. For them, the process of designing and choosing gear boils down to three key elements: the blend of experience, expression, and emotion. While Air for Nike is all about innovation, Air for Jordan shows up for the culture, uniquely, its in communities. Like the swoosh, the jumpman means something to people, signifying not only athleticism but belonging.

Text by Sahir Ahmed
Photography by Seth McGinnis

In a similar spirit, Youssouf Fofana, a Parisian native of Senegalese origins and the founder and creative director of Maison Château Rouge and the United Youth International (Union de le Jeunesse), an organization empowering Parisian youth through entrepreneurship, embodies the cultural fusion that Jordan Brand champions. Youssouf's five year long collaboration with Jordan Brand extends beyond fashion; it represents a cultural exchange that transcends borders and generations. As a creative director, Youssouf tells us that he brings his vision of cultural synthesis to life by "looking for the meeting point of our two universes to create something new."

"Synthesis represents the natural assimilation by the sons and daughters of African descent immigrants mixed with the culture and tradition of the country where they settled and grew up; this gives light to a new form of creation, mixing seamlessly heritage and tradition with modernity to design authentically for the diaspora. It is not just about mixing two elements, but it is really a way to create a new natural form of language." Reflecting on founding the UYI, named after his second collaboration with Air Jordan in 2021, Youssouf explains, “What we wanted to do with this collection was to showcase a celebration of youth and the diaspora internationally. For me, as a youth who had a different view of the world and a different idea of how to shape things, I wanted to create a place for others like me to be able to express this, and it was very logical that it took place in the 18th arrondissement in Paris,” a neighborhood that has long been a hub for French-speaking African diaspora as well as some African-American creatives, much like The Bronx.

Recognizing the vast array of African influences that intersect in the 18th, Youssouf creates “a new territory for the next generation to feel at ease in the country that welcomed their parents or those that came before.” And he sees the Olympics, which have always been the ultimate platform for sports, as an opportunity to serve the youth across the city.

Alongside Youssouf, French-American baller, Gabby Williams, a forward in the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and an Olympic Bronze medalist who joined the Jordan brand in 2023, came out to play, debuting the brand’s French Federation kit. Youssouf designed a custom Jordan Brand two-piece suit for Gabby to wear, "inspired by vintage basketball warm-up outfits, synthesized by the silhouette of a suit tailored in the tradition of French know-how." He joined the VisionAir Showcase with UYI members, giving Parisian youth culture a chance to shine on their own terms at the summit. We chatted with them below.

Leni Abdoulaye, 22

Grew up in the 19th arrondissement. Co-founder of streetwear project Outside.

What was the first pair of Jordans you owned?

When I was 12, I put a pair of Jordan 4s in my profile photo on the networks because it was a vibe, I just wanted to, but suddenly all my friends started to roast me because they didn't understand why. [Laughs]

Do you have a favorite Jordan style?

I love the Jordan 3, because I find it really classy, it looks really dressy. You can wear it with everything: jeans, jogging pants, to do anything, out for an evening, it goes everywhere.

Is there an athlete you're rooting for during the games?

Mbappé but hey we’ll see if he’ll be there. I really like his determination. “Don’t talk to me about age” represents his mentality well, there are no excuses.

What does the intersection of sport and culture mean to you?

I feel like sport meets culture outside. Our way of living means that we are always on the move. In France, in the projects we wear tracksuits, because we naturally have a sports mentality.

Marion Gomez, 22
Photographer and Junior Artistic Director

What was the first pair of Jordans you owned?

My first pair of Jordans was a red Jordan 3, although I absolutely wanted a pair of 4s for several years. I thought it was a Jordan 4 model, but after seeing everyone at school and college wearing the Jordan 4 I realized that I had the wrong model, it was ultimately the three but I told myself that it was more authentic and I could have had any Jordan on my foot. The important thing was to have a pair.

Is there an athlete you're rooting for?

No particular athlete, but I have an interest in dance and the fact that break dancing is represented this year at the Olympic Games is very important to me and I want to actively follow this discipline.

How do you think the Olympic Games will impact the city this summer?

The fact that the Olympic Games are taking place in Paris can be an opportunity for the city to be seen from a new perspective. It is an opportunity for the whole world to discover Parisian culture, that is to say a diverse culture, a culture with multiple influences.

Soriba Dambakate, 24
Grew up in the 18th arrondissement. Maison Château Rouge / United Youth International Coordinator

What was the first pair of Jordans you owned?

My first was an Air Jordan 6. My brother worked in a sneaker store in Châtelet and he gave me this pair for the start of 5th grade at college.

Is there an athlete you are rooting for the Olympics this summer?

Victor Wembanyama and Nicolas Batum with the French team!

Do you play basketball?

Yes, I've been playing street basketball since I was 13, playing from time to time with my friends. In high school, there was a basketball court in the playground, and we played during lunch breaks, recess or at the end of classes on a court. During college, I played it with my friends in the square. There is so much access to basketball in Paris also with all the courts like at Square Léon, Stalingrad, Charenton, or Carpentier, etc.

What influence do you think the Olympics this summer can have on Parisian youth?

Today, for me sport is anchored in culture. I think it can encourage more young people to practice sports other than football or basketball, and maybe even participate in the Olympic Games one day. Why not?

Fashion

Dressing the Sixth Annual Pornhub Awards: Briana Andelore on Creating with SEKS

How did you, Will and Abel (the minds behind Seks.llc) meet?

Well, I’ve known about Seks for a really long time just from being in New York and being in the club. They used to be called Seks 5th Avenue a while back. But honestly, I don’t even know how it happened, whether Julia told me or if we just started DMing. I think Julia messaged Abel, then Will and I started DMing and we had a crazy package debacle in LA — because the mail is crazy — so we had a moment and that’s definitely when it all came to life.

What was it like working together to create each of the looks?

It feels like it was meant to happen weirdly enough, because the second that we met there was an instant connection and obsession, I think, for both of us. And this collaboration was almost an evolution of what we've been doing, put to life on all of these girls. So I'm grateful that it did happen because it's just so iconic.

Julia and I have a relationship where we don't have to talk to each other much — we’re kind of telepathic in that way. Abel and I also share this telepathy because sometimes we just read each other's mind and he knows exactly what I want. I don't feel like I've ever found that in a designer. If I show him a couple of pictures or I give him my ideas, it is always executed above and beyond what I ever expected.

Did you create each look with the girl in mind already?

We had the girls in mind, but I also knew that things were going to change because once you meet someone and can feel their energy, you tend to feel differently and are like, Oh this piece works better with you because you have a bubbly energy, or you have a more serious energy, or you have a more fierce energy, or whichever may come into place in the moment. I like to keep things pretty open.

Asa Akira & Queenie Sateen

Was there a narrative arc that brought each of the looks together?

We kind of took inspiration from the venue, [Whisky a Go Go], and individuality within rock and roll culture, this very rebellious, ’I don’t give a fuck’ energy. It’s just whatever it wants to be, not confined to any one thing. Each look was its own personality, looking to recreate the energy of that era in a modern context.

What was it like once you finally saw everyone in their look and the night played out?

The energy was definitely there. It was so electric and it felt like the space was coming alive. Everyone was really partying. Everybody was drinking and enjoying themselves because it was just a night to celebrate, and all of the girls were so amazing and cool and felt good in their outfits. When we were dressing, all of them were like, I love it. You don’t always get that. To make 11 girls feel amazing and happy, feeling their best selves on the carpet and at the party, you know it’s going to be the best night ever.

How hands-on were you in the process?

So, I always work as a team, that’s just how I vibe. Even when Julia and I were doing Franziska Fox, we had our technical designer, and our employees, but we all worked together to build those collections. I feel like working as a team is the best way to do things because that’s when ideas can be thoughtful and full of love. I have my girls now and we all also build all of our looks together. And Abel and I love each other so much, so this is like our love child. We co-created all of it. Abel has all of these technical and amazing ideas, but overall, it showcases things we both appreciate and conceptualized together really.

Natassia Dreams & Ryan Reid

Do you have any memories that come to mind from the months spent working on this project?

There is a story that people don't know about the collection. So Abel actually got really sick earlier this year and had to go into surgery. I got the news of us doing this collaboration a couple days before he went into surgery actually, so we didn't know if we were going to do it. He came out of surgery and it was super hard for him to adjust, as he was in a wheelchair throughout the process of making this collection, but at the same time, it also gave him life and hope. When we were finally finished with the collection, Abel was walking again.

Wow, that gives me goosebumps.

It’s a story that means so much to us and truly a collaboration that is beyond what it came to life as for us internally. Now he’s doing really, really well. He’s basically back to normal now, but this collection — the creativity it gave him — truly healed him. That’s just the power creativity can have.

And community, being surrounded by people that you really connect to and want to work with. Could you see yourself doing similar collaborative projects in the future?

Well, I have a shoe coming out in September so it is something that I’m working on. It’s created, but in sales now. It just takes time to drop. But yeah, I would love to create with Abel again and other emerging designers.

And you also worked with Julia on OMG Fashun which is coming out on E! pretty soon?

Yeah, so I executive produced OMG Fashun, and I styled Julia. The show is so amazing. There are so many talented young designers — and some of it is virtually untapped, similar to Seks when we met and they’ve already come so far. With the show, the world’s going to be able to see all of these incredible designers and they’re going to be able to grow, and that’s my favorite part of it all, meeting all of these talented people and seeing what they do, who they dress next, where the world takes them.

Yeah, totally. And there are so many amazing designers that people have yet to hear about, so that’s exciting.

Yeah, I get to work with a lot of young designers from really everywhere — Paris, Florence, Milan, Amsterdam come to mind — and it’s so great because everywhere, it’s basically caters to their communities. Like here in New York, we have our young designers like Women’s History Month, who have an amazing store where they sells some of their own creations and vintage as well. Then there’s Lucky Jewel, James Valoria, Retail Pharmacy, all of these places that are part of our Downtown community. Retail Pharmacy highlights so many different designers in New York while mixing in pieces from around the world, and similar hubs are popping up all over the place.

Everyone’s also so connected because of social media.

Yeah, the internet is such a great place to tap in. That’s how I talk to a lot of designers. They begin as strangers and then sometimes I get to meet them when I go somewhere in the world, say for Fashion Week. Those moments are just so nice and also just creating this community around the world. I think more people will tap into it, especially with the show coming out, highlighting young designers, sustainability, and buying into that as the cool thing to do. It would be great to develop more with the designers on the show, and others around the world, a place for everybody to go to shop for them.

You should make the new modern day department store, like Retail Pharmacy x100.

Oh my God, that would be my dream. That's like heaven for sure.