Bow The Mold: The stories behind their style- featuring Caleb Ruecker
This is the first instillation of what i hope will be many. Tasked with finding fashion forward thinkers in the action industry started with a mere fashion on the street type standard. But faced with the fact that i am no sartorialist, i cant just look at what a person is wearing and not try to figure out the personality behind the garb. I was determined to go deeper.
I began to rack my brain and think of all the athletes i have met and the individual flair they bring to their sponsors and style i couldn’t imagine just documenting what they wore. As far as i am concerned “Name Brands, overpriced items and the hottest new style on the market all pale in comparison to the style brought together by individuals and their personalities.
This monthly essay is one that will strive to capture the real, the raw and the individuals i meet in a new light. Any stereotypes you may have had when first meeting the individual will melt away, confusion will in sue and you will want nothing more than to meet the individual with these fashion forward frame of minds.
The first of these young trendsetters is Caleb Ruecker. A Portland native and a BMX athlete iconic for his personal style, infinite flare and talent for bedazzling even the most plain of nails.
You see him fly by on the street, hop a curb and spin off into the distance, your initial though? “What a Punk” A reaction he has received with a smile for years and happens to be the same reaction I had as he was flying on his bike over a crew of us nemo workers as we enjoyed an afternoon at the loading dock. Once the intimidation and pure awe of his personal style settled in, i got a hold of him, it only took 3 years.We collaborated and talked, gossiped and giggled (yes girls he giggles) talked nails and fashion. Seriously, not the rail ogling, bmx jabber i expected. This is where the shattering of stereotypes idea came into play. I wanted to make a series of fashion essays in which this person who normally appears intimidating and hard would come across calm, collected, complex and the soft man i spent the afternoon in the park. Not the spiked, tattooed, ruecker the hucker that the world knows him as.
To my excitement he agreed. This is the series we created in an afternoon here at studio nemo.
An extra special thank you to Caleb and Camille V for spending a saturday in the studio with me.
The Birth of Big Air
Nemo Design Presents:
THE BIRTH OF BIG AIR
Nemo Design presents The Birth of Big Air, a 60-minute documentary film featuring BMX legend Mat Hoffman in his pursuit to go higher on a bicycle than anyone ever thought possible. The Birth of Big Air chronicles Hoffman’s influence on BMX: the physical and emotional strains of riding at his level, and how he continued to question conventional thinking, ultimately leading him to set a World Record.
Our special guest, Mat Hoffman, will join us for the event. Nemo’s creative director Mark Lewman is a longtime friend of Hoffman. Together, Lewman and Hoffman executive produced The Birth of Big Air for Dickhouse Entertainment with Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville. The project is part of ESPN Films 30 For 30 series, featuring epic stories of sport told by contemporary filmmakers.
A $5 donation gets visitors into the screening. All proceeds, including a raffle for Hoffman bicycles and products, will benefit Mike Vincent. Mike Vincent is a BMX rider who suffered brain injuries and loss of vision after being struck by a car in 2008.
The film screening takes place Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 7:30 pm at Nemo Design, 1875 SE Belmont Street in Portland, OR.
*sidenote: We are looking for photographers to document this event for us. If you are interested, email jordanl@nemohq.com
Mat Hoffman’s “The Birth of Big Air”
Get your asses down to the Tribeca Film Festival this Saturday to check out an inspiring and incredible documentary, “The Birth of Big Air.” It’s the story of BMX legend Mat Hoffman and his quest to take BMX further than anyone thought possible. It was produced by Dickhouse Entertainment’s Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, along with Mark Lewman of Nemo.
Two hours before the screening, there are going to be demos and more…the screening is free and open to the public!
Saturday April 24
World Financial Plaza (West Street between Vesey and Liberty)
Event: 6:00pm. Screening: 8:00pm.
Nike 6.0 Tunnel Jam
Nike just released the official Tunnel Jam video! Don’t know much about this project other than they spent six weeks building this amazing set up in an abandoned tunnel. This video is sick! Some amazing combo tricks, huge transfers and a broken bike frame! Check out the video here at Defgrip!
Photo Of The Day- Hoang Tran In Japan
Hoang Tran, a pro rider for Sub Rosa recently took a trip to Japan. Along with shredding he took some great photos of his trip, to see some more of what he took click here to see what the Defgrip crew has.
Studionemo at 1st day of Dew Tour and FuelTV after party
Today marked the first day of Dew Tour in Portland,OR an StudioNemo was there to capture the awesomeness!
BMX in the Beijing Olympics – Mark Lewman on the spot for Nemo
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- 1 The day of days is finally here: BMX in the Olympics. Our group has a battery of Nike helpers on the ground to get things done. First things first, where the hell is the best route to the Laoshan stadium? Even with the government mandate to cut Beijing traffic in half during the Olympics, the roads are still crowded and the smog and haze are insane this morning.
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- Get in here
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- People fan out and the key to being a better fan is to have giant stuff. Like this Aussie dude.
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- Who knew BMX had official cheerleaders? The press pool needs to get into the spirit.
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- The starting gate was a three story tall drop. Riders hit about 30mph down the first straight, with key sections of the track paved. This descent ramp was wooden.
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- When the gate drops, the bullshit stops. Mike Day holeshots down the first straight.
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- Mike Day slated to win the gold. YEAHHH!
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- Kyle Bennett, a team USA athlete racing for a slot in the finals, gets tangled up in the first turn. This was the gnarliest crash of the day.
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- The berms are asphalt and riders carve through the corners held in place by G-forces. Their bikes are almost level against the wall of the berm. So rad.
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- But one fuck up at this speed and it all goes to hell in a hurry.
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- The Dutch guy leading the pack buckles under the G-forces and he goes down, starting a chain reaction of bad stuff…
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- Which ends with Kyle Bennet on the ground, completely jacked.
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- Kyle Bennet in the gnarliest wreck of the day.
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- John Martin Shouting in tongues
Add ons by Plain T
Accessories are often thought of as small add ons, such as watches, scarfs, shades, or jewelry. However accessorizing becomes much more effective when the object is bigger than yourself. With the constant up-surge of action sports, and BMX’s debut in this summer’s olympics what could look more smart than you on your 1984 GT Pro Performer Eddie Fiola Winterland Park Edition going for a quick coffee? What ever your object of choice may be, make it fitting of you and it will be a sure hit, oh ya… extra points if you take your cumbersome item to a crowded house party and carry it around all night!
FREESTYLIN’ launch party
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0iCoZa8ww]
I grabbed the Canon G9 and headed to Brooklyn Projects opening and launch of the Nemo produced book FREESTYLIN’. Nike SB’s, John Martin asked Nemo creative director Mark Lewman if he could do anything for BMX what would he do. Lewman brought the old band together from the Freestylin’ days and put together an amazing historical outline of the pioneering days of freestyle BMX. Spike Jones and Andy Jenkins collaborated in their original roles and put together the book.
BMX racing will debut in China at the Olympics next month and Nike SB has been doing promotions to bring focus to the new event. Michael Lau designed special limited edition Blazers for the promotion and if you were at the party in LA the he also design two special edition toys and a show box that is so unique and original!
NIKE 6.0 Lightning Bolts aka NEMO in China
In preparation for the Olympics in China, Nike 6.0 hosted the “Lightning Bolts” BMX Exhibition in Beijing. The event brought BMXing’s legends out to play. 6.0 riders put on a live demo and legends customized number plates for the art show.
Nemo’s very own Mark Lewman, an OG of BMX’s Freestylin Magazine, was one of the brains behind the event. He has been hard at work creating an anniversary edition of Freestylin (that will have a very special limited release) and designing his very own number plate. YEAH Lew!
