A brief history of the brand

Starting up as a sneaker store, wholly dependent on parallel buying trips with no official accounts, the lifespan of the initial Patta business plan was finite from the beginning. Over the years, many stars managed to align via sheer force of will, planning, but also by random chance. In the first few years, the team was going to different places like New York, Philadelphia, LA, Paris and Tokyo almost four or five times a year. Through conversing and socializing with their suppliers, everywhere they went, their contact book kept expanding. Through their life-long experience with the product and its culture, Edson & Gee knew first-hand which shoes to bring back to the Netherlands. With help from Edson's brother Tim, and later addition Max, they picked out models that they liked, or they were several years old and about to make a comeback. While the risks were high of bringing back a brick (a non-moving sneaker), this was all part of the game, because the consequences of striking gold were worth it twice over. Because making money is one thing, but from a branding perspective, Patta was making a name in the industry. Scoring gold meant putting sneakers out on the streets and in public view that weren't even in production anymore. Which means that if brands were paying attention to what happened on the streets, they could, in turn, profit from reissuing these products. This awareness and insight would play a significant factor a few years later.In the first few years, the team was going to different places like New York, Philadelphia, LA, Paris and Tokyo almost four or five times a year. Through conversing and socializing with their suppliers, everywhere they went, their contact book kept expanding. Through their life-long experience with the product and its culture, Edson & Gee knew first-hand which shoes to bring back to the Netherlands. With help from Edson's brother Tim, and later addition Max, they picked out models that they liked, or they were several years old and about to make a comeback. While the risks were high of bringing back a brick (a non-moving sneaker), this was all part of the game, because the consequences of striking gold were worth it twice over. Because making money is one thing, but from a branding perspective, Patta was making a name in the industry. Scoring gold meant putting sneakers out on the streets and in public view that weren't even in production anymore. Which means that if brands were paying attention to what happened on the streets, they could, in turn, profit from reissuing these products. This awareness and insight would play a significant factor a few years later.

Meanwhile, the local community continued to support, and the Patta store became the beating heart of youthful creative energy in town. Exclusive sneakers and streetwear finally had a home base in Amsterdam, and word-of-mouth was spreading rapidly about this shop that wasn't like any other. Rappers, DJs and other artistic friends were hanging out on the couch, talking and laughing with the staff, while Hip-Hop was blasting through the speakers. Some of these friends even stayed and made it their home, as Mr Wix set up a studio in the back, Ben-G opened a skate shop on the ground floor, and Piet Parra set up a desk in the top floor office. A longtime friend and talented visual artist, Piet created the Patta script logo that they printed on small batches of t-shirts for friends & family. These always sold out so fast, and eventually became the catalyst for the Patta clothing line. With help from their friends in the music industry, they also set up mixtapes with features from some of the Netherlands' most popular Hip-Hop artists. Team Patta was bringing the noise, and the power of the internet was amplifying.