“ ‘Back in the days, it used to be better’ is the lowest form of conversation,” opined Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt, half of the duo behind the Dutch retail and clothing brand Patta. Along with co-founder Edson Sabajo and a growing team of creatives and professionals affectionately referred to as Team Patta, Gee remains deeply interested in creating the future, even when celebrating the past.
In 2009, Patta collaborated with Nike to create five of the most beloved and coveted sneakers of all time, a five-pack of Air Max 1s that was also released to coincide with Patta’s fifth anniversary: the “Purple Denim,” “Chlorophyll,” “Denim Corduroy,” “Lucky Green,” and the uber-exclusive “Cherrywood,” a joint effort with Dutch artist Piet Parra that was limited to 258 pairs. Of the five, the “Chlorophyll” colorway may be the most personal to Team Patta — the rich, verdant green is the brand’s house color. It’s also extremely popular. Pairs of the original release show up on resale platforms priced at more than $1,000.
Patta co-founders Edson Sabajo (left) and Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt (right).
Patta
Now, 15 years later, the “Chlorophyll” has returned. After teasing its potential release at a party celebrating a different collaboration with Nigerian singer Tems in July, Patta will reissue the sneaker with the high-quality materials and the same attention to detail in design that have been the hallmarks of its brand for the past two decades. The release will arrive exclusively at Patta chapter stores and via Patta’s website on Sept. 13.
Collaboration has also been at the heart of Patta’s approach from the beginning. It was started after two Surinamese friends connected over a love of hip-hop and fashion to create something new in Amsterdam, then expanded to partnerships with brands as huge as Nike and as obscure as Mephisto, and to retail locations in Milan, London, and Lagos, Nigeria, and now at Patta Academy, a school to nurture and supports the talents of the creative leaders of the future.
Besides catching up about the impending rerelease of the “Chlorophyll” Air Max 1, Andscape spoke with Schmidt about what it means to be around for 20 years in a business where many companies only last a fraction of that time, and how it follows its motto to create out of love and necessity rather than profit and novelty.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The 2024 retro version of the Patta x Nike Air Max 1 “Chlorophyll” revisits the colors and fabrics of the 2009 original.
Patta
The last time the “Chlorophyll” was released was to celebrate five years of Patta. And now we’re at 20. How does it feel to see that the interest in this sneaker is still so high, so many years past its initial release? And how does it feel to be even more relevant, established, and well-known worldwide at this point in your career?
As far as the shoe, it became what it was because we are still here. Its relevance is actually the result of our work. Then, it’s the colorway and the materials that are not regular for the Air Max 1. These are all factors that obviously matter. But if you take that all away, it’s just the emphasis on our achievement over the years. And it’s just raw energy, you know what I mean? It’s our Illmatic.
Patta’s motto is “Out of love and necessity rather than profit and novelty.” With sneakers in many ways seen as more of a financial investment rather than a form of self-expression, do you think the people who buy sneakers out of love and necessity are now in the minority?
Well, you know, when it comes to sneakers, it’s big business. I think the essence of the culture is still kind of the same. It’s just a different way of curating nowadays. Because there are so many offerings, you really have to dig through why you buy things. Do you want to stand out? Do you want to support a specific company because they do specific things? All of these reasons become way more important than the product. And that’s something that has always been essential for us.
Nowadays, it’s still the same type of offering, with the same quality and obsessiveness about how stuff looks. People are serious, and they are doing it. Newness and progress are just part of it. So, the business is bigger, but its essence is still the same.
Even after 20 years, Edson Sabajo (left) and Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt still see themselves as both students and teachers in the game. Schmidt said improving the next generation is “the epitome of culture.”
Patta
The Patta x Nike Air Max 1 “Chlorophyll” retro celebrates the Amsterdam brand’s 20th anniversary.
Patta
Patta opened doors for other Black streetwear and fashion brands in Amsterdam. How does seeing others thriving in a lane you helped build feel?
Well, to me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s important that you touched on it because, along the way, not everybody was willing and had the mindset to open up doors. We ran into a lot of crabs in the barrel mentality, so to speak. So when we came up and did our thing and ran into those types of things, we were like, ‘You know what? As we keep on growing, this is something that we should remember and always use as something that we will never do.’ We will always strive to make the next generation better than us because that’s the epitome of culture and nurturing culture.
A lot of people want to talk about communities, but when we talk about community, it’s like we’re talking about ourselves. We are the community, we are a part of it. So seeing other brands coming up and doing their thing, whether in Amsterdam or our peers in Lagos, where we opened up a shop, is the best thing to happen. It ain’t only about us, that’s the whole thing.
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When Patta started, you and Edson had to get on a plane, go to New York, and meet people in person to buy shoes and clothing unavailable in Amsterdam. Now, folks interested in this culture can access a wealth of information at their fingertips.
Do you think that access to that much information has changed the nature of people’s relationship to the culture?
Things move ahead, and things change. And that’s actually great. So, no, I’m seeing that as growth. How information travels nowadays and how you can get information is way more accessible than it used to be. I see beauty in what it was because obtaining the information was harder. We got the information from record covers, Yo! MTV Raps or whatever we could get our hands on. So that was, in actuality, very hard.
But now you have a different problem because there’s too much information. Now, the curation has to be on a different level if you want to get to the pinnacle of what you love. You have to dig deeper now. It’s just as hard to get to the good stuff as it was before, but it’s different.
The Patta x Nike Air Max 1 “Chlorophyll” debuted in 2009.
Patta
Returning to the sneakers, the “Chlorophyll” is one of the most beloved Air Maxes and one of the most coveted sneakers of all time. What do you think resonated with people about this sneaker, and why has there been so much anticipation for it?
Well, it’s pretty straightforward: It’s a traditional Air Max 1 colorway in its essence. It’s raw. It’s dope. The simplicity of the shoe is what makes it timeless. Obviously, that shoe is part of a series of shoes. But that specific one, because it’s so recognizable, it’s so instant. That’s what makes it so lovable, and that’s also what makes it famous.
I’ve always associated Patta’s design style with a sense of restraint. Is that just reflective of your and Edson’s taste?
It’s definitely reflective of our taste, but it’s a team effort. We’re a big team of people, and the creative director we work with, Vincent [Van De Waal], who does a lot of the design work, is also very much involved in that.
And without a doubt, doing simple stuff is the hardest. Let’s not get it twisted. Making stuff shine just out of simplicity, good materials, and nice colors, is the epitome of taste. I love wild colors. But doing stuff simple is the hardest.
The co-branded label appears on the shoe’s tongue.
The designers reused the same fabric from the 2009 release in this year’s drop.
An updated sock liner swaps a Dutch Guilder design for one featuring a €20 bill.
The updated release comes in a special box commemorating Patta’s 20 years in existence.
How do you feel about the concept of grails? That’s what the first edition represents to many collectors.
At the end of the day, it’s just sneakers, man. It’s just the stuff you put on your feet and run out of the house with. I don’t wanna be too privileged about that s—. People love what they love, and it’s all in the eyes of the beholder. Some people look at sneakers as art, so I have respect for that, too. Everybody can have their own way of looking at things.
But how I look at it is like, ‘yo, I like them on my feet,’ and that’s it. So you see me wearing everything, everywhere, all the time. As I get older, I’m more about comfort too, you know what I mean? Like, yo, s—, I’m not 22 anymore, trying to get out of the party, feet hurting like a motherf—er.
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What keeps you motivated after this long in the game?
With every step we take, things go organically. We stumble into problems, solve them, and then get into new things. So, here are just a couple of examples: We have a Patta magazine. That’s like a new little adventure. Edson is mad busy with the Patta Academy. We have a goal of having an actual brick-and-mortar place where we can develop students and people interested in culture in whatever way we can. So, as we go along, things come along, and we find out.
I think if you are open to learning and don’t think you know everything all the time, you can make it exciting. The Patta Academy is also not necessarily me and Edson telling everyone that this is what it is because we learn as much as the students. So, in that sense, we are both students and teachers. There should be a balance or an equality. If you are open to that, the sky’s the limit.
Greg Whitt is a writer from Washington, DC. His work has appeared in VIBE, Genius, Consequence of Sound and several other publications. He likes to freestyle when he’s by himself in the car.
