Le Le x Patta x Converse 5th Anniversary Project | Hypebeast

Parra was already making a name for himself doing a lot of flyers and promo for the better parties in town. And of course doing designs for Rockwell Clothing and getting his first big commercial work with Big Active from London. Aside from doing that, he was also doing a little bit of DJing and beatmaking, and of course a lot of skating, haha. Multi-talented or what?

Lee was doing beats and DJing, but mostly outside of the country in Asia, to be more specific; all the while hanging out.

Max “Milanello”, is an important element of Patta and also a co-owner. We met after we opened up. He was still living in Italy back then and was heavily into the vintage sneaker game. He has a great collection and knowledge of the game.

I myself worked at Fatbeats, then moved over to the marketing department of Sony Music (Epic and Columbia), handling R&B, Hip-Hop, Soul, Jazz, Reggae and what not, all the while doing some hosting, bar tending, and organizing parties.
 
With such a diverse team of individuals, it comes as no surprise why the whole lifestyle initiative that represents Patta made sense. Seems as though everybody brings their specific skill set to the table to make things run smoothly.

We have a big team, the hardest part was getting everybody in the right place and doing what he or she excels in. We work as a team, so each individual is necessary to make things run smoothly. Obviously it takes time and trying stuff out to find what you like to do. We are now at the point where everybody does his thing and plays his position. Most of the stuff we do comes from the heart but there also comes a lot of politics around the corner. That’s a game you need to learn to play. We try to do that without losing our identity or our integrity as individuals but also for Patta. This is sacred to us.

What have been some of the hardest obstacles you’ve faced in the past five years? What has been the most rewarding aspect?

The most rewarding has been seeing people around us getting successful and doing their thing. Parra with his art, Benny with Ben G, the people that work at Patta doing there own thing. Ultimately seeing Patta grow like your own baby. Other than that mostly traveling, getting to know new people, working with different brands like Nike, Kangol, adidas, ASICS, Stussy and Converse, among others. We’ve had the chance to meet great people that inspire us to do our thing or work harder, such as Eric Elms, James Jebbia, Giovanni Estevez, Neal Santos, Jamie Story, Dash Snow, Angelo Baque, Aaron Bondaroff, Fraser Cook… all people I wouldn’t have met if we weren’t doing what we are doing.
 
What do you think has made Patta so successful all these years? Would you equate it to timing or something innate, like a talent from within and an eye for cool stuff?

A combination of things, timing and the mix of different disciplines. Parra has been a big part of our success. Sticking close to where we’re from (Amsterdam/Netherlands), ultimately if it weren’t for the support of the people we wouldn’t be anything without them. Last but not least, hard work… very hard work, which is still the case. An eye for cool shit doesn’t mean that much to me. That’s different for everybody, it’s very individualistic, we are a team and that’s what forms our individuality.