Kingpin Magazine

Sylvain Tognelli turned pro for new British brand Isle Skateboards in March 2013. Isle boss (and Sylvain’s former boss at Blueprint) Paul Shier said that when the company was first being dreamt up, ‘Sylvain was the first person I wanted to be a part of it – to me he personifies what has always interested me about skateboarding’, and his two debut pro models formed a key part of Isle’s first season of board releases.

Besides Isle, Sylvain’s also sponsored by Lakai footwear, Carhartt, Nozbone skateshop, Modus Bearings, Bones, Indy, Ashes and Remind Insoles. Among his video appearances are a part for Jacob Harris’s independent release Eleventh Hour (formerly The Grey Video) set in London, Berlin, Valencia and Lyon, and undoubtedly one of the best skate films to appear in 2013.

Born in the French town of Dole, near Dijon, he and grew up in Lyon where he began skateboarding relatively late. However, he was soon making up for lost time and learnt his skills with the guys from Lyon-based skateshop Wall St. and skate company Antiz. He currently lives in hipster hot-spot Berlin.

Influenced by videos such as Habitat’s 2003 release Mosaic, Sylvain is an inspirational rider with a unique style, ready to try all kinds of tricks and to skate anything from a burnt-out car to a massive drop in or metal edge ledge. His skateboarding relies on precision, but he has suffered some serious injuries in recent years including a broken hand.