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.