When Footpatrol Paris Met Sainté

27.02.23 Frequent Players



Championing an all-new feel to contemporary music, Sainté is a Leicester-born music artist that continues to push boundaries in the UK’s evolving cultural soundscape. With his deeply rehearsed, States-inspired sound, he has continued to allocate an all-new positioning for the Hip Hop genre in the UK.

Just before his live performance at the La Machine du Moulin Rouge, we had a chance to catch up with a pumped up Sainté in our Paris store while hosting his Meet & Greet to find out a little more about his music masterwork and fashion influences, as well as delving deep into his shared passion for sneakers.

Footpatrol: For the few people that may be unfamiliar with who you are and what you do, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Sainté: I’m just Sainté, I also go by the name of YS. I am a creative individual from a small town trying to inspire other people to chase their dreams. That’s all really.

FP: Last couple of weeks, we regularly saw you in Paris, especially during Fashion Week. In all your appearances your style is always meticulous. What is your relationship to fashion?

Sainté: I mean I just love dressing nice, if you dress nice you feel nice, if you dress good you feel good! I used to play basketball, so fashion and style have always been a thing that goes hand in hand with the sport and it’s the same way with music. Fashion and music are connected easily so I love playing with them.

FP: Ok so you got into fashion with basketball and then music?

Sainté: Yeah, I feel like it was through basketball when I was younger, but I always kinda knew that I liked it. I couldn’t always buy the clothes I wanted, but I could always look at something and be like “this is nice, I want this one day!” Then it got to a point where I started working hard enough to buy the clothes that I liked.  

FP: That’s cool. Since you mentioned fashion and music are tightly linked, how does fashion influence your relationship with music? How do they intersect for you?

Sainté: To be honest, fashion helps a lot with my music. I tend to write about things I’m doing, things I like, and things I want to manifest. I tend to be buying a lot of the clothes I like and they’re always something to talk about. Obviously, I get excited about it. I wouldn’t say it’s to ‘flex’ but to be able to style it out, show people and talk about it.

FP: During your back-and-forth trips between London and Paris, what differences did you notice in sneaker culture between the UK and France? For example, the TN here in Paris vs. the 95s being iconic in London.

Sainté: You know, that’s one thing I have realised! I feel like I used to be more of a TN guy, but recently with trends in the UK I’ve started to see a lot of 95s that I like. I feel like there are a lot of shoes that are special here. The sneaker game is very lit in Paris. People are a lot more open to wearing different stuff. Whereas in the UK, people still wear different stuff, but it’s a lot of trends and people wear what other people are wearing. Here, it’s similar but there’s more variety, especially in shoes.

FP: Regarding the evolution of streetwear, sneakers, etc., how do you see it in the foreseeable future?

Sainté: I feel like it’s going to keep getting crazier and crazier. There are a lot of new designs and silhouettes that are coming out. It’s hard to pinpoint who, when, or how but I’m just excited to see what collabs or new designs will be coming out. There’s a lot of creative directors that are being placed at different brands and I can’t wait to see what they will do to spice it up.

FP: Are there any recent trends that you like more than others?

Sainté: At the moment I’m a bit out of it and I haven’t had time to keep an eye on trends being on tour and travelling. But there isn’t really a trend that I like more than another. It’s more about which one catches my eye, then I’m like “okay, I respect it”.

FP: Moving on to sneakers, what is your relationship with Footpatrol and what does it represent for you?

Sainté: To me, Footpatrol is very important. I love shoes and FP has a lot of crazy kicks, so I feel like we’ve got a lot to build together. I woke up this morning like “Yooo, we’re going to Footpatrol let’s go!” and I was very excited. I had to make sure I was wearing CLEAN shoes, you know? I hope my relationship with Footpatrol goes a very long way, we’ve got a lot of shoes to talk about!

FP: Do you have a favourite pair of sneakers or brand at the moment?

Sainté: I couldn’t give you a model, to be honest. I mean, I’m wearing Jordan 6s right now and I wear a lot of Jordans. Recently, I’ve been wearing my Off-White Dunks quite a lot as well. But I couldn’t pick a single pair, there’s too many.

FP: Which type of sneakers/shoes would you choose for a concert and why?

Sainté: Depends on the mood. Tonight, I might wear the 6s or maybe the Margiela Replicas.

FP: Which shoe is your favourite and maybe the most iconic for you? Maybe one from your childhood?

Sainté: Iconic shoe? Honestly, I’ve been wearing a lot of my Air Force 1s or, like, Jordan 1s. I used to wear 11s a lot as well, but then I got put off because everyone started wearing them. But yeah, Air Forces or Jordan 1s are always a go-to!

FP: One day, would you wish to have your own signature shoe? If so, what would it be?

Sainté: That’s too much information haha, but I would like a signature shoe. I’m going to make sure that happens. It’s in talks, but who with? I’ll keep that a secret right now. Can’t say.

FP: Are there any future releases you are waiting for?

Sainté: I’ve seen the CDG (Comme des Garçons) New Balance. Did you see those? I think those come out in December. I’m excited for them. I like the leather and the little details. When I saw those, I thought “they’re nice, I need them”. That’s the one shoe that got me really excited.

FP: Sainté, it was a pleasure to have you! Is there anything you would like to share with the Footpatrol friends and family? That could be anything from getting people excited about something, a message of positivity, whatever you like.

Sainté: I’d probably say, in this game one thing I’ve realised is that you’ve just got to be patient. Consistency and patience are super important. You could be good, but just because you’re good doesn’t mean that everything is going to come to you straight away. You could not be good, but if you’re patient that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get better, and then things will come to you. The key to this equation is consistency and patience. But at the same time, maintain your drive and humility. Anything from that point is never too big, you just have to wait and see because God’s got your back!

Thank you for having me. Peace!

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