As New York City eases into a recovery from quarantine and isolation, SoHo is coming back to life—and Romeo Hunte is lighting it back up.

The esteemed NYC-based luxury streetwear designer (with a cult following and supporters including Zendaya, Michelle Obama and Beyoncé) is collaborating with visual artist Shavanté Royster this holiday season, celebrating the intersections of fashion, festivities and the creative pulse of the city with a series of window displays in lower Manhattan, where almost one third of small businesses have closed due to the pandemic.

“This was all about reimagining and bringing back Soho, really,” Hunte told V Magazine. On the first day of the Holiday Window Series, Hunte sips an original-recipe cocktail—made with Bombay Sapphire gin, ginger beer and cranberry juice, finished with a lime wedge—at AMA West Village and reflects on the holidays and his trio of Soho displays.

“Soho really went through a shutdown, and I was thinking, how could we make it bright? How can we celebrate and bring in the holiday? I thought this was something that was needed, and it’s also a way of getting people to look at the windows, to get outside and really kickstart the holidays.”

The Holiday Window Series is everything Romeo Hunte stands for: bold, dynamic, unique. Inspired by the city’s iconic 5th Avenue displays, The Holiday Window Series captures the magic of uptown and brings it downtown for the holidays, infusing the displays with the edgy and versatile energy of Hunte and Royster.

Working with Bombay Sapphire, the three window displays are scattered through Soho, repurposing empty storefronts with original artwork and designs, while models in the window—wearing two new exclusive holiday designs by Romeo Hunte, set to be donated to charity after the display ends, as well as looks from Hunte’s FW21 collection—look out through the glass at pedestrians and perform contemporary choreography in the midst of Royster’s eclectic, bright, winter-wonderland backdrop.

Live through December 19, the trio of window displays is a burst of much-needed energy in the city, a spirited, lively celebration of the holidays and the reawakening of Manhattan’s winter spirit, linking together independent creatives and shoppers downtown. 

“Family comes first [to me] for the holidays, and health, taking care of each other and checking in on your family and friends,” said Hunte. “But I think everyone really wants to see people and they want to get out of the house. They want to shop again, they want to be in the store and feel the experience of the holiday. I think this is a great collaboration for us to encourage people to feel life again, to give them a breath of fresh air, and of course, shine a light on Soho.”

Check out the Romeo Hunte x Shavanté Royster Holiday Window Series in collaboration with Bombay Sapphire at the locations below:

• “NYC Dancer Window” at 25 Howard Street
• “Romeo’s Fashion Window” featuring two exclusive Romeo Hunte holiday looks at 423 Broadway
• “Shavanté’s Art Window” at 65 Spring Street