Champion Your City | New York City
Published:December 03, 2019
Nick Girlando has always been inspired by the changing culture and landscape of NYC.
How did you get started off in the creative / streetwear industry?
I got into the creative, streetwear industry through skateboarding. Ive been skating for about 20 years now and it was the perfect segway into this world. The way we dressed, sneakers we wore, always switching them up. I always wanted to be fresh while skating but then would switch up to a cleaner pair of shoes and a different outfit off my board. Traveling and skating led me to shooting photos and documenting all of that which snowballed into where I am today.
What does the champion brand mean to you?
Champion is one of the most memorable heritage brands out there. Especially in my lifetime. I remember wearing the sweats and athletic wear when I was five years old playing hockey after school and I still wear Champion often today. Im wearing a revers weave hoodie as we speak. A brand like Champion is hard to come by and will stand the test of time. They've stayed true to what they do and who they are since day one.
What would be your dream creative / artist to collaborate with? (living or dead)
Man, thats a tough one. I could go so many different ways here. But I think id Pick Keith Haring. The amount of work he did, in such a short period of time was incredible. The fact that he has that much work still living today and is more relevant now than ever before is impressive, His art will live forever. All I'd ask for would be one day roaming around NYC watching him do his thing.
Any advice to someone who is trying to break into photography?
The best advice I could give would be to shoot as much as you can. Learn what you like to shoot and hone in on it. When I started it was skateboarding and traveling. Its evolved to more fashion & sneaker based and a little more architectural photography now but I wouldn't have got this far if I didn't shoot as much as possible until my eyes figured it out. Always have your camera on you and you'll be surprised what you can learn along the way.
How do you balance working in fashion and also being a photographer?
How do you balance working in fashion and also being a photographer?
A lot of late nights and early mornings. Its not easy trying to shoot and be on the move when you have a steady job so you have to put in that extra time and work. In a lot of ways they go hand in hand so thats been great. Ive been able to shoot for a lot of brands that I work with on the sales / fashion side. Its still a hustle. If you're passionate about what you do enough, you'l figure out how to get it done.
Top 3 spots to get a slice to go in NYC?
1.New Park Pizza
2. L & B / Spumoni Gardens
3. Joe's Pizza, Carmine Street.
