In September 2009, an interesting scene began unfolding along Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal street in Amsterdam. On what appeared to be a typical weekday, tents and chairs popped up on the sidewalks, creating an impromptu campsite. The weather, still holding onto the warmth of a fading summer, was pleasant enough for an outdoor stay, but this wasn’t a normal spot for camping. Passersby were left puzzled, unable to ignore the growing crowd of young men gathering outside the sneaker shop, Patta.
"It was chaos, complete craziness outside the store," remembers Guillaume "Gee" Schmidt, co-founder of Patta, alongside Edson Sabajo. "People were camping out, it was wild."
The commotion was sparked by the release of a special edition Nike Air Max 1, a sneaker collaboration between Patta and Nike that featured a unique blend of a green, leafy "chlorophyll" colorway and denim-like fabric. The official launch date of September 29 had attracted a crowd so dedicated that they began lining up days in advance. This was before sneaker culture had exploded globally, back when the concept of camping out on city streets for days to buy shoes seemed bizarre, especially in the Netherlands. Patta was among the pioneers in fostering this culture locally, starting with an Asics Gel Lyte 3 drop in 2007, and later, with these memorable Air Max 1s.
In 2024, Patta is bringing back the "Chlorophyll" Air Max 1s. This re-release stays mostly faithful to the 2009 design but introduces a few modern twists. The updated version includes a new sockliner that pays homage to the €20 bill instead of the Dutch guilder that featured in the original. Moreover, the shape of the Air Max has changed slightly over the years, and the 2024 iteration reflects these subtle evolutions. However, Schmidt assures fans that the core materials remain unchanged.
“The green fabric, that denim-ish green, it’s exactly the same as back then,” Schmidt notes, emphasizing that they managed to source the original material still in stock.
For Patta, the return of the "Chlorophyll" Air Max 1s is more than just a nod to nostalgia it’s an opportunity to bridge the gap between sneaker culture then and now. While some sneakerheads might argue that legendary releases like the "Wu Tang" Dunks or the "Galaxy Foamposites" should be preserved as rare, unattainable artifacts, Schmidt dismisses such sentiments. For him, the magic lies in making these sought-after shoes accessible again, allowing both old fans and new enthusiasts to experience a piece of history.
