Image via Complex Original
There are very few boutiques that find true success in the competitive world of sneakers and streetwear. Amsterdam's Pattais one of the few that have weathered the ups and downs and still managed to come out on top. Rather than tell their story, we decided it would be best to go direct to the source and have @djmastalee tell the @Patta_NL history of sneaker collaborations.
Out of love and necessity rather than profit and novelty, the Patta store opened it's doors at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in 2004. Situated right in the city heart of Amsterdam, the store literally became the center of attention by bringing new excitement to the Dutch scene. Within a relatively short span of time Patta went from parallel importing footwear from overseas, to being rewarded with the top tier accounts from all of their favorite brands, to collaborating with them on products, resulting in Amsterdam's true one-stop shop and platform for streetwear culture.
Patta's resume contains many collaborations varying from footwear, to clothing, to headwear. Furthermore, Patta also functions as a creative hub by being involved with local and international music, design, events, exhibitions and more. After 8 years at the original location, Patta recently reopened at an all new space where more ideas, concepts, products and collaborations with various brands are soon to follow, as growth and expansion continues… Keep an eye on patta.nl
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Patta x Converse Pro Leather First String
Year: 2012
The release of the Converse Pro Leather First String coincided with our store reopening, so alongside the collaboration itself, that marked a special moment for us as well. We are not the ones to mess around with the legacy of certain models we get the opportunity to work on, so for the Pro Leathers we took inspiration from gardening and plant cultivation as a nod to Dr. J and Converse Pro Leather shoe's "roots" in culture. We used earth tones paired with durable, abrasion resistant Cordura material, resulting in highly wearable interpretations of the Converse Pro Leather shoe to be worn in most conditions. The high-top was treated with a tan upper and velour interior with a hit of pink and pink and purple tongue logo. In contrast, the low-top version features a dark green upper with a purple velour interior and white and purple tongue logo. Each pair included a tote bag and matching shirt bearing the special co-branded logo.
Patta x Reebok Workout 25th Anniversary
Year: 2012
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Workout Plus, Reebok commissioned 15 global retailers, including Patta, for a personal take on the classic model. The only guideline was to incorporate something workout-related. We chose to interpret "exercise" in the broadest sense of the word: Slow versus fast, clumsiness versus nimbleness, tortoise versus hare... The hare... Now the hare would be perfect to serve as our main inspiration to stay with the theme of speed and agility. We played around with various hues of grey as the main color, and made it pop with organic shades of pink and green. Natural earth tones to keep it sober, juxtaposed by a wild hairy upper to make them stand out on your feet. When we least expect it, the hare darts out of the ditch. And there you have it, the Patta x Reebok Workout Plus. The release included Reebok varsity jackets and a hardcover book featuring images and background information about every shoe in the project.
Patta x Reebok Workout Plus 25th Anniversary from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Patta x ASICS GEL Saga
Year: 2011
In 2011 we got together again with ASICS for our third contribution to their 'Family and Friends' releases and again, reintroduced a model from the archives. To take it back home, we used the GEL Saga silhouette as an homage to the first ASICS collaboration we did which put us on the map. We injected the same trademark Amsterdam colors: Red, black and white alongside a pinch of Patta green. The St. Andrews crosses reappear embroidered on the tongue, semi-hidden. The upper construction incorporates mixed materials including rubberized leather, perforated suede, and pony hair, all atop an off white midsole. These came with a set a co-branded gloves to protect your hands from the foul Dutch weather circumstances.
ASICS x Patta GEL Saga from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Patta x KangaROOS PxK
Year: 2011
What set this project apart from other collaborations we have worked on, is that this is an on-going partnership. This means seasonal co-branded collections featuring KangaROOS models from the back catalog such as winter boots (Woodhollow, K2, Slantback) as well as vulcanized styles (Tennis Oxford, Voyage, Safari), which sometimes also need redeveloping and retooling. Since KangaROOS is Europe-based, it is easier for all parties to work closely. Our aim for every collection is to stay true to the brand, while updating and adding our own touch to it. A lot of attention is paid to the style and quality, materials such as Cordura¨ Nylon fabrics, premium leathers and specialized printed canvas are used to achieve this. The collections also often include something extra on the side like Victorinox Swiss Army Pocket Knifes, Mag-Lite mini flashlights and shoulder pouches. We're proud to say that Kanye West is a big supporter of the Woodhollow-model.
Patta x Warrior Club
Year: 2011
Warrior Footwear is the everyman's shoe. Originally a sporting shoe for Chinese athletes, Warrior (or "Huil Li" as it is known in Mandarin) has been a household name in China since the 50's. I've seen them around plenty as a kid when visiting the homeland, but never paid them any mind. They first appeared on our radar in 2008 packaged with a book of photographs featuring Chinese people wearing them, the amazing work of Finnish-Chinese graphic design student Shumeng Ye. We bought a sizerun for the store and they sold out in a flash. We kept a relationship with the brand ever since (they're available for retailers via Patta Distribution). In 2011 we got together with the brand to work on a set of Warrior Clubs. The uppers feature simple and effective pen scratches (done by hand for every pair!). A Staedtler stationery set came with every pair, containing a corresponding Lumocolor 318 Permanent marker, Mars Lumograph HB pencil, Mars Plastic slide sleeve eraser and a mini writing pad.
Patta x Nike Air Max 1 Anniversary Pack
Year: 2009/2010
To round out our celebratory collaborations with a bang, we worked on 5 Nike Air Max 1's. The first 2 releases were a direct homage to Tinker's original 87 colorways. The Quickstrike chlorophyll and purple Tier Zero versions both featured the original colorblocking, but we replaced the original materials with premium nubuck, denim and canvas to make them a little more street friendly. We also had to bring back the much beloved mini-Swoosh for all the Air Max 1 fans. The following blue Quickstrikes had a more exotic approach with a plethora of upper materials, including corduroy, denim and nubuck in various shades of blue. Hits of red and green have been used to accent the shoes as a whole. These were the easiest to get a hold of out of the pack, but nonetheless, quite popular as well. The black Air Max 1 were quite harder to obtain as those were again, a Tier Zero-release. The main upper consists of black mesh and ballistic nylon. This also explains the metal eyelets so the material wouldn't fray. A white canvas Swoosh was applied to go with the white midsole, rounded out with hints of Patta green and a nice gum outsole. An inverted colorway was planned as well, but the white ballistic upper stained at the slightest touch, so we decided to let those go. All four designs were tied together with a uniform sockliner featuring artwork based on the old Dutch currency, the symbolic (and missed) 5 Guilder coin. The pack was completed with the most popular of the bunch, the 3-way Patta x Parra x Nike AM1. At first glance quite a plain burgundy shoe, but upon closer inspection there are many nice details to discover. The tonal terry chenille swoosh compliments the rich cherrywood suede and mesh. The Parra-branded tongue patch, vibrant multicolor outsole and hand-drawn sockliner graphic make them unmistakably Parra. The bulk of these was only available at Patta, which made them one of the most coveted Air Max 1's in recent history. If you want to go all out you need to get your hands on the matching Parra x Nike Destroyer jacket as well.
Patta x Reebok Pump 20 Bringback
Year: 2009
While we were about to celebrate our 5th anniversary, Reebok invited us to join and collaborate on their 20th anniversary of the iconic Reebok Pump. Due to our geographic location, the bulk of our collaborations come to fruition by sending back and forth material swatches and revised computer-aided design templates. The Reebok Pump 20 however, were more or less made on the spot among 19 other renowned invitees and friends at Reebok's Headquarters in Canton Massachusetts. 1991's NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner and well known Pump wearer Dee Brown was also in attendance to provide some history on the shoe. Being that the Pump is such a bulky shoe, we kept it toned down in a premium butter soft tan leather and accented it with hits of Pump orange. Only 31 pairs were produced and each pair is personally numbered.
Patta x Converse x Le Le Chuck Taylor & Le Le Pro Leather 76
Year: 2009
This anniversary project was unique for Patta in the sense that we also partnered with musicians as a first party, tying in with Converse's rich history of involving artists with sportswear and fashion. Amsterdam-based music trio Le Le (Faberyayo, Rimer London & Parra) were fully involved in the creating process. The Pro Leather sports a corduroy upper with quilted lining, while the Chuck Taylor is the polar opposite with a quilted suede upper and corduroy lining. Furthermore, the Chuck Taylor we worked on is a 60's vintage shape with higher rands and midsole without the usual pinstripe, creating a more classic look. Not only did the pack contain the iconic Pro Leather and Chuck Taylor silhouettes, it also featured a reversible varsity jacket in matching corduroy/quilt fleece, as well as a limited edition 12" vinyl single containing 2 new Le Le tracks and their respective instrumentals: "We Are Le Le" and "Slotmachine". I directed a 4-part series documenting this collaboration.
Converse x Patta x Le Le Part 1: Gee from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Converse x Patta x Le Le Part 3: Le Le from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Converse x Patta x Le Le Part 4: Inspiration from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Patta x Pro-Keds Royal Lo & Hi
Year: 2009
2009 marked Patta's 5th anniversary and every Patta collaboration from that year celebrated that fact. Patta x Pro-Keds was one of those projects as well. Since this project was scheduled for a warm summer release, both the Royals were kept subtle and clean with premium pebbled leather construction sitting atop natural gumsoles for contrast. We added tonal branding, enamel eyelets and leather laces to keep it stylish. Each pair included a free heavy duty leather-trimmed bag for summertime grocery shopping.
Patta x Pro-Keds Promo from Masta Lee on Vimeo.
Patta x Keep Benten Boat Shoe
Year: 2009
Keep is a fresh California-based company specialized in producing classic, clean, vegan and cruelty-free footwear. It's cool to have independent businesses come together, inspire and create. For the Keep collaboration we used earth tones like brown, tan, grey and blue on the unisex Benten Boat Shoe. The sleek upper has moccasin toe detailing and features 100% synthetic suede to stay true to Keep's philosophy. The tongue subtly carries a tonal embroidered Patta-logo to make them official. A large and sturdy canvas tote bag was included with each pair.
adidas Superstar 3Way Consortium
Year: 2009
The other 3Way Consortium shoe we worked on was the iconic Superstar, which was kept as basic as possible. Alongside partners Sneakersnstuff, LimitEditions and A.R.C. we opted for a blacked out upper in Cordura® fabric and luxury pigskin suede, sitting atop a white outsole. The heel strip carries the respective store logos in a tonal print. Each pair came in a Cordura® dustbag and included multiple lace options and gunmetal lacelocks.
Patta x adidas Forum Mid Consortium
Year: 2009
Following up on the 2008 aZX project, adidas sent us to Stockholm to work on the 3Way Consortium project the following year. Since most collaboration footwear only comes in mens sizing, we decided to create something with the ladies in mind. The redesign of the 1984 classic expands on the legacy of the silhouette for a feminine touch without resorting to the obvious. The fresh color palette has been applied on nice textures like premium suede, mesh and patent leather. The instep features a transparent panel to showcase your matching sock game.
Patta x ASICS GEL Lyte Speed
Year: 2009
After the success of 2007's GEL Lyte III collaboration, we teamed up again with ASICS, who were in the process of retro'ing the Gel Lyte Speed-model. In the winter of 2007 we released a limited artist series of sweaters with reworked Patta logos by graphic artists Boris "Delta" Tellegen, Parra and Eric Elms. With the artist's consent we decided to bring back those graphics and colors to apply on the Gel Lyte Speed model to create a pack. The three pairs vary in material choice, color up and characteristics, but all share a white midsole and white toebox for continuity. The black "Delta" version features 3M reflective elements, making them stand out only in certain light conditions. The purple "Elms" is the all-rounder with warm and cool properties through its hues of purple and blue. The red "Parra" is playful with the signature Parra color combinations and patent leather details. Each pair also features corresponding artwork on the inner lining and footbeds. Similar to the Patta GEL Lyte III, every pair came in a matching backpack instead of a shoebox. 3 lightweight ASICS jackets were also thrown in the mix to complete the pack.
Patta x adidas ZX 7000 Consortium
Year: 2008
adidas picked Patta for the letter P spot in their ambitious aZX project, which offered us the opportunity to design our own aZX Consortium shoe. By the time we got on board, most models from the ZX-range had already been picked by the other stores, so we opted for the less obvious ZX 7000 to work with. We digged into old technical outdoor jackets which often have unorthodox but fresh color combinations. Seinfeld's Patagonia outfit in "The Parking Garage"-episode was a direct inspiration, that's where the teal, purple and scarlet combo comes from. We applied premium leathers to withstand the shitty Dutch weather, but kept a sports feel by using mesh lining and a white midsole. Further detailing was kept subtle with a transparent heel cap, tonal embossing, clear outsole, scarlet suede stripes on the outer, and tonal perforated teal stripes on the instep. At the time, one of our favorite rap artists Saigon happened to have a banger out called "Letter P", so we reached out to Just Blaze to get a drop from Sai for the promotional video.
Patta x Alife x Rockwell Everybody Mid "RAP"
Year: 2008
We are tight with the people at Alife, so it was only a matter of time before we got together and collaborate on a project. For this one we also involved our family member Parra from Rockwell. "Rockwell Alife Patta", hence the "RAP" name. At the time, Alife's "Everybody"-models were doing really well, so we picked the mid-cut version to work with. Both the American and Dutch flags contain red, white and blue, so we kept it universal and went with those colors. It's a pretty basic shoe from afar, but again, there are quite some hidden details to be found upon closer inspection. The uppers are made up of premium nubuck and ripstop nylon, with 3M tucked underneath the perforated lacestay. The metal eyelets are in alternating colors and the tongue patch is in patent leather with Parra artwork, which can also be found on the sockliner, underneath the clear bottom sole and on the special box packaging.
Patta x ASICS GEL Lyte III
Year: 2007
The Patta GEL Lyte III holds a special place in our list of collaborative works because it's our first real collaboration with a major footwear brand carrying our logo on the shoe, and also marked the return of this particular model. We went all out on these to make them stand out. The split tongue on the GEL Lyte III is unconventional as is, and we took it beyond that by applying an unorthodox colorway and elements based on Amsterdam's Coat of Arms (red, black and three Saint Andrew's Crosses), mixed with Patta green. We also included 3M reflective material, a speckled midsole, printed inner lining and mismatched sockliners. Each pair came with multiple laces and instead of a regular box, the shoes were packaged in a matching sports backpack. Side products included a t-shirt, a New Era fitted cap and a varsity jacket in collaboration with Trainerspotter. This release also marked the first time we had tents and overnight cues in front of the store.
Patta x Nike Air Max 90 "Homegrown" Pack
Year: 2006
To accompany State Magazine's (Dutch Hip Hop website) "Homegrown" compilation album, Patta was called on board to work on this project alongside State and Nike. The Air Max 90 has been a staple in the Dutch (and Euro) streets ever since the Infrareds, so the classic runner silhouette was an easy pick. Nike sat down with us and some of the featured artists: Winne, Nina and Sef. Since the album artwork was based on leaf patterns, it was only natural to match the shoe for continuity. The green upper is contrasted with a clean white midsole, a gum outsole and orange lining to make the whole thing pop. Other details include a micro perforated toebox and cork sockliner. Promotional friends & family pairs were produced in an inverted colorway and bear a "State Magazine" tonguelabel. The Air Max 90 Homegrown purchased at the Patta-release included the Homegrown CD and a mini booklet.
Patta x Nike Air Max 1 "Amsterdam"
Year: 2005
Every now and then, Nike hits up major cities worldwide to offer that city its own shoe. Often credited as a Patta collaboration, Patta only took on an advisory role for this one and it should really be credited to our family member Parra, whom we shared office space with when this project came about. The intended colorway for these was inspired by a local supermarket chain, but when the chain switched up their corporate identity and design, Parra canned the idea (although a few pairs do exist) and applied nighttime colors inspired by Amsterdam's Red Light District. Instead of the Nike Air logo, Parra's "Amsterdam is King"-logo can be found on the tongue and printed on the back of the heel. The sockliner features a nice big booty girl-design. There are not too many pairs of these in existence, and the friends & family pairs with embroidered Parra-signature on the mudguard are even more rare.
