PATO began with a single moment of inspiration at Fire Island Pines. After spotting a unique pair of crochet shorts on a guy at the beach, I remember thinking, "I have to make those". My mother—an avid knitter and the undisputed crochet queen—had spent years trying to convince me to pick up a hook, but I had always resisted. I showed her a photo of the shorts, then completely forgot about it.

A year later, I opened a birthday gift to find a pair of navy blue crochet shorts she had handmade just for me. They were perfect! That single gift broke years of reluctance; the hook was finally picked up, and the craft was mastered.

Countless pairs of shorts and hundreds of hours of refinement later, I felt a pull to create something entirely new for the beach. I wanted a garment that felt like total freedom—and that’s when PATO was born. We wanted to offer something the beach hadn't seen before: a piece that is practical, fun, and unapologetically bold. The result was our signature two-piece, tie-on crochet jockstrap—designed for the man who isn't afraid to show a little more. PATO is the intersection where traditional craftsmanship meets modern queer beach culture.