Meet Anna Jane Davis | Founder & Creative Director of ROY G.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Jane Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna Jane, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had been selling my tie dye one-off vintage tees for a couple of years and then the pandemic hit. A few months in I was feeling pretty drab and really yearning for things to wear that felt comfortable, but also vibrant and chic. I couldn’t find any loungewear in the market that fit the bill — everything was either too expensive, or polyester or boring. So, I created exactly what I wanted!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve learned two things about starting a business: try everything and say “yes” to everything. Kind of a throw everything at the wall and see what sticks kind of mentality. I graduated from RISD with a BFA in Apparel Design, and knew immediately I did not want to design clothes, so I’ve worked almost every kind of job in the fashion industry – designing, styling, runway production, showroom sales, drawing tech packs, and trend forecasting, which I did for 11 years. It’s kind of funny that I’ve landed full circle…designing clothes. It was a really organic way that I got here, and in hindsight everything I tried set me up to be able to get the business off the ground on my own. I’m really excited to expand into other markets like accessories, swim and home. I guess when I tell people my story I want them to feel inspired to go for whatever it is they want to do. A ton of people will tell you not to do the thing because of their own bad experiences or fears, but you just have to tune them out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I live in Brooklyn and rarely head into the city these days because there’s so much happening over on this side of the river. I always start the day with an iced coffee, and there’s lots of great coffee shops to choose from, but I like going to Blank Street because you can sit in the pretty courtyard and dogs are welcome. If I’m hungry then I head to the lobby of the Hoxton Hotel and get a Jerusalem bagel, which I’ve become addicted to. As far as daytime activities, I love riding the ferry to DUMBO and walking around. If it’s a weekend there are tons of markets to hunt for vintage clothes or try new food or find antiques. And of course there’s the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and all the museums to check out, but I kind of like just wandering and stumbling upon things. My absolute favorite place for a late afternoon or early evening cocktail is Achilles Heel and they have really yummy snacks that are hard to resist. For dinner, in addition to good food, I want a lively scene, and 12 Chairs is really vibrant. If we’re really trying to have the best time ever then I would head to Ponyboy for more cocktails and then late night House of Yes for dancing. It might take a few days to recover from this itinerary!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I started working on the loungewear collection I wasn’t sure it was going to be a full blown brand, but around that time I got a collaboration with Electric Lady Studios to do some custom merch, and I was also selling one-offs at an outdoor market, which gave me the confidence that there was a customer base for what I was doing. Sales are not my strong suit, so I really have to give credit to my fiancee Matt, who is so supportive and always my hype man when it comes to selling and championing the brand.

Website: www.roygshop.com

Instagram: @roygshop

Facebook: @roygshop

Image Credits
Eric Ray Davidson