Artist Shavanté Royster On Working With Bombay Sapphire Gin & Hobbies Outside Of Art
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, almost 2,800 small businesses in New York City have permanently closed. Thus, to celebrate the hopeful return of better days for creatives in 2022, and infuse the traditional holiday window storefront display with a more diverse, youthful narrative that showcases underrepresented voices, the disruptive fashion designer Romeo Hunte — fast attracting celeb attention from Zendaya, Michelle Obama and Beyoncé — and emerging artist Shavante Royster have collaborated with Bombay Sapphire to transform otherwise empty storefronts into inspired “windows of art” in downtown New York. This Holiday Window Series is lighting up downtown Manhattan to mimic the holiday magic of 5th Avenue and celebrating the city’s hustle.
The aforementioned Shavanté Royster is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked as a designer and visual artist since 2009. Royster developed a passion for art very early in life with a body of work consisting of digital illustration, painting and mixed media. Raised in a military household, she spent her developing years travelling around the world. Within her art, she explores ideas of what it means to have a home and a place to belong. She expresses both the challenges and the excitement of being uprooted through her expressive use of shapes and colors.
On December 22, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shavanté Royster via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond her work with Bombay Sapphire, we spoke about her future career plans and hobbies outside of her career. More on Royster and Bombay Sapphire can be found here, here and here.
