Felipe Gustavo’s ascension into the pro ranks of skateboarding right in the birthplace of the culture is the sort of dreamer’s story that inspires and amazes in equal measure.

Red Bull spent a day with the Brazilian émigré as he not only shows us how he manages to keep himself in the kind of skating form which is required if you want to make it in the top flight of the global game, but how he has spun off his hustling mentality into a new business line. The career of a pro skater can be vanishingly quick when the level is so high that life-changing injuries are not only common but even likely. In the past this has left a lot of gifted youngsters on the shelf right at the peak of their ability, and it is only in recent years that pro skaters have really began to consider how to parlay their skating into other avenues which will sustain them when their time at the top draws to a close, as it must do for everyone. Felipe’s Açaí Republic is quickly becoming the go-to skaters’ hangout in Los Angeles and he swings by to pick up some bowls of the Brazilian superfood before hitting up some of the courtyard ledge spots hidden around the city’s downtown and shared on the down-low via geolocation pins from other members of his skate crew. It’s all in a day’s hustle for the hardest-working man in the skate game: hop in to kick it with Felipe on his ‘Field Day’!

Portrait by Rigablood x Salad Days Mag – All Rights Reserved