“I’m basically just a regular guy with way too much clothing who takes pictures and makes videos while strangers walk past on the sidewalk and judge me,” Jovel Roystan says jokingly.
But all jokes aside Jovel is really the go-to person for promoting menswear brands and making them look cool. How fun is that! There’s no guessing that Jovel loves his career and has a lot of passion for fashion!
Start
For Jovel the journey began literally just doing what he loves.Who knew it would turn into a full blown career. “It really just started from me sharing what was interesting and cool to me. I made a Tumblr page back in 2010 and posted what I liked and what was real and relevant to me—from fashion and modern art to Bible study posts and pictures of pokemon (yes, I’m a total nerd)—and, what do you know, people actually cared about what I was putting out there. The following year, I launched a joint blog with a college friend of mine and that led to amazing projects, opportunities and memories that shaped the way I look at a lot of things, including my potential and the ability for someone to make their own way if they just focus and try. In the past two years, however, I’ve really tried to step out of the typical “blogger” box as it relates to my style and content, and I’ve been blessed to see amazing growth across my platforms. I launched my personal site at the end of 2016, and now, I’m just trying to continue building my brand and content in a strong and substantive way,” Jovel says.
“My style is like a mood ring!” -Jovel Roystan
Spark
Intrigued by his intense passion, I asked Jovel to reminisce on when he first felt the spark between him and fashion. He took me back to his freshman year of college. “Looking back on things, I suppose I always was interested in style, but it wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I really dove into this world. I was cast in the Homecoming fashion shows (as a model) at my school, Morehouse College, and our neighboring institution, Clark Atlanta University. The crew and other models were all so cool and fun to be around, and I started to appreciate the industry for its openness to so many different types of people, lifestyles, and personalities. Also, I found a new type of confidence through my style that really evolved to a greater confidence in myself as a whole, and that’s drastically changed the way that I look at and approach everything around me,” Jovel explains.
Journey
Jovel has had a wonderful experience so far in the world of fashion. When I asked him what was his biggest milestone, it was hard for him to pinpoint a specific moment. And that is exactly how life should be! “I think the journey as a whole is something that I’m really proud of. It’s sort of funny, because a lot of people look at me now and think I was just some pretty boy who comes from money and started posting pics on Instagram, but that’s so not the case. My family was always okay financially, but I was nowhere near being someone who could just ball out on clothing or trips or anything like that. I was a full-ride scholarship student who survived off of my refund check every year, and I’ve worked really hard for every single thing I’ve gotten since I left—from teaching myself all of the special skills that I use on the daily to disciplining myself to effectively balance two full-time jobs, a social life, and complete consistency with my content. Not to sound like an ass, but I honestly believe I deserve everything I’ve gotten so far,” Jovel expresses.
“However, I think seeing the fruits of my labor day after day has helped me build my faith and my life in a really strong, stable way. So I think my answer would be: just thinking about all that God’s been doing and everything that He has ahead. I mean, honestly, I sit back and just laugh sometimes in complete awe, and thank Him because He’s really doing so much for me that I could never do on my own. So, that internal sense that I’m doing exactly what He wants me to be doing makes me feel really good,” Jovel continues.
Think about the 80/20 rule; if you get 80% of your impact from 20% of what you do, what is that 20% for you as it pertains to developing and expressing your personal style?
I work on a lot of different types of projects throughout the year, but I’d say my style videos have really changed the game for me. It’s a small portion of my content mix, but they drive so much engagement.
What about discovering new styles to incorporate into your look and style?
For me, I really gather a lot of inspo from the ‘gram. Some of the guys that I follow… they’re just amazing, and they really push me to try new things. Also, my job keeps me pretty current on a lot of the seasonal trends that are coming ahead. For example, we’re pushing a ton of Westerwear right now and I’m obsessed with it. I plan on becoming a Brooklyn cowboy this spring, haha.
Who do you consider the icons in the fashion & design industry?
Honestly, I really don’t spend too much time thinking about icons. Not that I don’t respect them, because I certainly do, but they don’t cross my mind much. I’m way more interested in the modern game-changers, the future icons (if that’s the term you’d choose to use). I think Luka Sabbat is a king right now. I wouldn’t necessarily wear all of what he rocks, but his effortless swagger makes it all look perfect. From a design perspective, Daniel Arsham is always a source of inspiration for me—and someone who I’d definitely consider one of the leading contemporary artists in the game right now. As fashion houses, I’ve always loved Dior Homme, and Balenciaga has my attention at the moment.
