Series
Patta’s Co-Founder Edson Sabajo: The Architect of Independece | Visions of Visionaries (Part 1)
“Black kids, Amsterdam, no accounts, opening up a store. It’s crazy.”
For the first Visions of Visionaries installment of 2026, Globetrotter Lab sits down with a true pillar of global street culture: Edson Sabajo, co-founder of Patta.
Founded in 2004 by Edson and Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt, Patta has grown from a local Amsterdam boutique into a world-renowned independent ecosystem. The “Architecture of Independence” is their manual—a blueprint that prioritized cities like Milan and Lagos over the traditional industry hubs of Paris and Berlin. Built on Surinamese roots and a “people-first” philosophy, Patta remains the definitive case study on how a brand can scale globally while remaining fiercely sovereign.
Recorded at Suudu Lagos—the members-only creative hub and home to Patta affiliates—this three-part series deconstructs the Patta manual. In Part 1, Edson reflects on the 360-degree journey from his heritage back to the African continent, and the raw energy he witnessed firsthand on the ground in Jakarta.
Watch Part 1 of 3.
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Blackup Jakarta | A Conversation on the State of Black Affairs
On Saturday, June 27th, Globetrotter Lab hosted a virtual conversation on the global state of black affairs and assembled some brilliant minds to share their perspectives on current happenings regarding the Black Lives Matter protests, its history, cultural context, and why it’s important for Asians, especially Indonesians, to engage.⠀
Despite Jakarta’s proximity to the center of the Black Lives Matter movement that continues to reverberate around the world, Indonesians also resonate with the issue of colorism. Cities across the world continue to stand together in solidarity against global systematic racism.
Hosted by⠀⠀
Kennedy Ashinze
Founder – Globetrotter Lab ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀
Moderated by ⠀⠀
Arief Aziz⠀
Country Director – Change.org Indonesia ⠀⠀
Cofounder – TedxJakarta ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
With guest panelists
Barbara Allen
Emmy-award winning filmmaker / Producer⠀⠀
Hadi Ismanto
Founder Manual Jakarta⠀⠀ ⠀⠀
Eric Williams
Entrepreneur / Community Leader⠀⠀
The Silver Room – Chicago ⠀⠀
Curtis Johnson⠀⠀
Fmr Senior Manager ATAMERICA ⠀
Michael Jakarimilena @michaeljakarimilena
Musician