PEOPLE WHO SURF: Tripoli Patterson

PEOPLE WHO SURF: Tripoli Patterson
by
Jeff Mull
SURFER Staff
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Born on the shores of Sag Harbor, N.Y., raised in Bali, and educated in New Zealand, Tripoli Patterson has lived in more places than most people have traveled. But it’s not the lengthy list of locations that Tripoli has called home that make him unique; it’s the fact that there is a 24-year-old art curator in the Hamptons—one of the wealthiest communities in America—who can punt a 3-foot frontside air with as much poise and grace as he has when he hosts his own gallery openings.

Although Patterson first developed a passion for all things ocean-related as an 8-yearold living along the white-sand beaches of New York, it was when his family moved to Bali two years later that his passion for surfing blossomed into a full-blown obsession. “I actually learned to surf in Bali with my mom of all people. We both got into it at the same time. We were pretty amped on it together,” says Patterson.

It’s not clear whether or not the razorsharp reefs of Bali or the fear that your mom might surf better than you played a bigger role in forging Patterson into the surfer he is today, but clearly, something has paid off in spades.

“When I was 10 and living in Bali,” reflects Patterson, “I remember surfing for like, six hours a day with my mom in these picture-perfect conditions. Just getting barrel after barrel. I don’t know of many kids at that age that get to surf waves like that with their mom.” When Patterson turned 15, his family packed up and moved again, this time, trading the warm-water barrels of Bali for the neverending left-hand points of New Zealand. “When we moved to New Zealand, that was a bit of a shock for me. It’s just so different from Bali. I felt like my surfing really improved down there. When you have a left that you can do more than 10 turns on, you’re only gonna get better.” For Patterson, however, the fabled lefts of Raglan weren’t enough to whet his thirst for accomplishment; he wanted to accomplish something great outside of the surfing arena.

“The waves were great and the people were amazing. I was even doing a few ’QS contests here and there and had some really good results, but when I was living in New Zealand, I felt a little bit trapped, like there was nowhere for me to go. That’s when I knew I had to get back to New York.”

When Patterson first returned to New York, it took him some time to gain his bearings. He still made time for the occasional surf trip down to Australia to shoot photos for his sponsors, but eventually found himself working a slew of odd jobs. Patterson was happy, but knew he was capable of something more. “When I moved back to New York, I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do. I’m a pretty social person and I have a lot of friends that are artists, so I sort of worked my way into that scene to see if I could find a niche there. I guess it worked. Now I’m doing $100,000 art openings where I hand choose the artists I want involved in the show, find the space, and put the entire event together on my own terms.”

Patterson’s not only working as an art curator, he’s also found time to start his own clothing line with his younger brother, Jake. Under the label Edgewood Goodies, Tripoli has built a fashion-forward clothing company from the ground up at just 24. “Within the first week that we had our line in a few boutiques, it took off. I heard that even Lil Jon bought some shirts. Only in New York could I pull something like this off. Nowhere else can you just show up, put your line in a store, and then have Lil Jon buy your shirt.”