How Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4 ‘Brick by Brick’ Is a Nod to Challenges and Triumphs — and Celebrates New York
Nigel Sylvester has mastered the art of storytelling.
Since joining the Nike family in 2005, the famed BMX athlete — a product of New York by way of Queens — has delivered six highly coveted sneaker collaborations to date. Over the years, he has reimagined the 6.0 Mavrk, the SB Dunk High, the Air Force 1, the Air Ship and the Air Jordan 1 High.
However, Sylvester — who made the move from Nike to Jordan Brand in 2021 — told his most personal story to date in July 2024 with the “Grandma’s Driveway” Air Jordan 4 RM. The look, dressed predominantly in Jordan Brand‘s Pro Green hue, was a nod to the fence around his grandmother’s driveway where he would ride his bike endlessly as a kid.
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Although there were countless stellar collaborations released in 2024, because of his compelling story and expert execution on the Air Jordan 4 RM, a new model from Jordan Brand at the time, “Grandma’s Driveway” was the favorite of many sneakerheads.
“Most people, they have a connection or an experience tied to their grandma’s house or their grandma in general. Also, most people have ridden a bicycle. We were tapping into things that most people can connect to in their own way,” Sylvester explained. “And the content — and kudos to Jo Marie Payton, she’s so legendary — how she captured the energy of my grandma, it brought this story to a whole ‘nother level.”
The following month, Sylvester and Jordan Brand returned with the Air Jordan 4 RM “Driveway Grey,” another nod to his grandmother’s driveway with Anthracite uppers that served as a natural follow-up.
While developing the “Grandma’s Driveway” narrative and sneakers, Sylvester was busy writing the next chapter in his story, the Air Jordan 4 “Brick by Brick.”
“I’m looking at this thing in totality, from a holistic standpoint,” Sylvester said. “The origin of Nigel Sylvester, the BMX athlete, started in grandma’s driveway. Now, I’m going to take people on this journey brick by brick and really dive into the moments that have got me to where I’m at now. This is just a continuation from the beginning. I’m a huge fan of storytelling in that way.”
Lucky No. 7
When speaking about what’s to come in 2025 with Jordan Brand, Sylvester said he’s really big on element of surprise. However, everything leaks in the world of sneakers and people were introduced to his latest shoe — his seventh with the Nike Inc. family of brands — in late 2024.
“We’re definitely learning as we go. Fortunately, the images that leaked, they’ve been very low quality so people don’t actually know what it looks like,” he said with a laugh. “But when they see it, they’re going to be like, ‘Oh shit, OK.'”
What didn’t leak was the narrative for “Brick by Brick,” which has both figurative and literal meanings.
Figuratively, the story represents the need to build something gradually, much like he did with both his BMX career and his many creative endeavors.
“This is a nod to the triumphs and the challenges, trials and tribulations throughout my career. This has not been easy, me being a Black BMX athlete from Queens, New York. People look at that like, ‘How is this even possible?'” Sylvester said with a laugh. “There was a lot of things I had to deal with, whether it was race, going into a sport where there wasn’t a lot of individuals that look like me or come from the place that I come from. Having to navigate that, having to develop a brand and learn how to do that, all of those things that like go into achieving success.”
“Brick by Brick” is also a tribute to New York City, specifically the unmistakable bricks that many of its buildings are built with in a hue that natives know well.
“When you move around New York City, you see that reddish-orange brick everywhere. It’s on our homes, our institutions, our schools, our parks, our plazas. It’s everywhere,” Sylvester said. “It is literally woven into the architectural and visual fabric of New York City. And me being a BMX street rider, riding outside my entire life around New York City, it has become a color and a symbol that resonates with me very deeply, and the same goes for a lot of people from this city.”
Aside from the bold hues Sylvester employed, the shoe features several intricate details that play into the story, such as plastic detailing on the nubuck uppers that he said “feels like a brick.” Also, the shoe has 3M hits, his “Go!” logo on the insole and “Jordan Biking Co.” on a label that is stitched into the inside of the tongues.
Despite the leaks, Sylvester has been able to maintain excitement for the collaboration’s upcoming release. For instance, he revealed the shoe at a friends-and-family dinner in NYC on Jan. 14. (where better quality images and videos of the shoe surfaced), and four days earlier, he loaded a massive adorned with “Bike Air” branding on the back of a truck to the corner of Lafayette Street and Spring Street.
“When I pulled out the 13-foot brick on the back of a flatbed and told people to show up, people were so excited,” he said. “They didn’t know what was going to happen, if they were going to get shoes or not, but just the idea of it and the energy around it created this excitement and uproar. I think what I’m doing is definitely contributing to restoring that feeling and excitement around around sneakers.”
First Time for Everything
Although he’s a veteran when it comes to sneaker collaborations, design apparel is something that has been foreign to Sylvester — until now. Along with the Air Jordan 4 “Brick by Brick,” Sylvester has created an accompanying seven-piece apparel collection with Jordan Brand.
“The direction I want to go in is like futuristic BMX rider,” he explained. “I wanted to put my stamp on it. I feel like there’s this undefined space in regards to how the modern day BMX rider looks and dresses.”
He continued, “I think it’s going to be a collection that people would gravitate toward. It goes amazing with the footwear. It starts to give shape and color to Bike Air. When you’re able to put a shoe on and you can style it with a ‘fit, you start to define the identity of what Bike Air is. We have a great, really incredible runway ahead of us to just define this space that hasn’t been defined in a very long time.”
His debut apparel range includes T-shirts, a jacket, pants and more. However, the highlight of the collection is an eye-catching BMX jersey. “I’ve seen a bunch of people do jerseys, but a BMX jersey coming from me is different because I actually live this life,” Sylvester said.
Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4 “Brick by Brick” sneaker collaboration and accompanying apparel collection arrives March 14.
Looking ahead, when asked about what’s to come in 2025, Sylvester held on to that element of surprise he is so big on. However, he did reveal he had big community-focused plans with his Nigel Sylvester Foundation and the third Go Ride, a transatlantic bike ride that typically hits two countries in 24 hours but will expand this year to three. What’s more, he also promised his fans should expect product drops with Jordan Brand throughout the year.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
