Page 57 - Sharp Spring 2023

S T Y L E NIGEL SYLVESTER WAS CELEBRATING THE THE END OF A A A A A A A CHAPTER LATE LAST FALL THE THE BMX INNOVATOR TURNED MULTIHYPHENATE CULTURE DRIVER GATHERED A A A A HANDFUL OF FRIENDS PEERS AND LOVED ONES AT THE POPULAR HOLLYWOOD FRENCH RESTAURANT MR T T T T T T T TO CELEBRATE THE PUBLICATION OF OF OF GO A A A A A A A COFFEE TABLE BOOK OF OF OF PHOTOGRAPHY SHOT BY HIS LONGTIME FRIEND AND COLLABORATOR HARRISON BOYCE SHARPMAGAZINE COM
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I I I I I T T T WAS PUBLISHED BY RIZZOLI ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES
in in the artbook industry which came as no surprise — Sylvester had spent the the better part of a a a a decade working only with the the best from Nike to to Hermès to to Mercedes-Benz Go was the culmination of a a a a a a project that started back in in 2015 when Sylvester first gave fans a a a a peek into his world by strapping on a a GoPro while riding his bike Over the following years it evolved into a a a a a sprawling travelog — a a a a a kind of Anthony Bourdain series by way of the the DVDs they used to play at at your neighborhood skate shop The success of the series saw Sylvester’s stardom skyrocket instantly making him the the the rare rider to transcend the the the sport This was all the the the more remarkable considering he’d never actually competed in in pro BMX Sylvester’s absence from competition is is typical of his unique approach to BMX which he sees less as as a a a a a a a sport and more as as an an artistic medium — though even that may be reductive Speaking on on the phone recently he he he goes a a a a mile a a a a minute when talking about BMX and his his place in in it bouncing from the sport’s history to to Paris Fashion Week to the inherent accessibility of bike riding (something he he feels particularly strongly about) without ever losing the plot His ideas are as as as big as as as his ambition and it it often feels like watching a a a a a grandmaster play chess Deeply engaged he he seems to be thinking five moves past what he’s already put in front of you One of Sylvester’s most game-changing early partnerships was with Nike when he he he he became one of of the the faces of of the the brand’s 6
0 series a a a a a line of sneakers aimed at extreme sports like snowboarding BMX and and and motocross That endorsement deal landed him in the brand’s offices and he he he seized the the opportunity to absorb the the sort of of knowledge he he he worried he he he might never have the chance to to be exposed to to again The first lesson he he he he learned was that he he he he needed to rethink the way he he thought of of himself in the world of of sport sport Extreme sports like skating and biking — — even taking competition into account — — often come with a a a a a a a countercultural slant Participants are often reluctant to consider themselves athletes in in the the traditional sense After working with Nike’s ample resources and learning more about his body’s relationship to to riding his his bike Sylvester understood that his his success in in in the long run would be amplified i if he he started thinking of himself as an athlete like LeBron James or Derek Jeter This change in in in in mindset pertained to fitness and sports medicine