A graphic t-shirt and art print brand inspired by the screenprinted posters its founder made to promote performances at New York clubs has planted its first permanent storefront in the French Quarter, opening at 721 Royal St. with New Orleans-inspired designs, limited-edition gifts and the same hand-silkscreened aesthetic its founder has been refining for more than two decades.
The store belongs to Paste, founded by artist and filmmaker Jason Laurits, and its opening marks the brand's first full retail store, according to New Orleans CityBusiness. Paste launched in London, and the shop sells graphic shirts, art prints and collaborations alongside the New Orleans-themed pieces, per the same report.
Laurits' path to Royal Street runs through some unlikely stops. He got his start making screenprinted posters to promote his own performances as a musician at CBGB and the Continental in New York, CityBusiness reports, before spending a summer screenprinting shirts in London and selling them at Camden Lock Market. Paste eventually expanded from apparel into prints, gifts and artist collaborations, building a following well before it had a real address.
A Two-Decade Reaction to Digital Polish
The graphic style behind Paste's product line reflects a pushback against the over-refinement of digital photo tools. Laurits developed the brand's look through digital collage and intentionally imperfect, hand-silkscreened designs, according to Kolaj Magazine. The brand's name refers to the adhesive children first used; the magazine also connects Laurits' work to authenticity in an age of Photoshop and AI.
Although the Royal Street address is Paste's first full-fledged retail store, the brand's t-shirts are still hand screenprinted, according to New Orleans Tourism's listing for the shop.
From New York Studio to French Quarter Storefront
Laurits moved to New Orleans in 2024, citing the city's visual culture, characters, music, humor and independent spirit as inspirations for his work, per a report from PRLog. He spent more than two decades building Paste in New York before making the move to Louisiana, the outlet notes.
Before the storefront existed, 721 Royal St. was already introduced to the local art community. The space served as an official venue during Kolaj Fest New Orleans in June, hosting an exhibition titled Jacob Laurits: Paste that showcased digital collages and silkscreened prints, according to the same Kolaj Magazine report. Before landing a permanent home in Louisiana, Paste had appeared at Artists and Fleas in New York.
For now, the shop keeps a five-day retail schedule, open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Kolaj Magazine.
A Film Premiere Adds to the Moment
The store's debut arrives alongside another milestone for Laurits: his first feature film. Loves Company, a dark, campy New Orleans-filmed comedy starring Rachel Dratch, Jack Plotnick and Brian Batt, follows a disgraced game show host rescued after a car crash and then trapped by his sole obsessive fan — a plot described by organizers as a campy Southern homage to Rob Reiner's 1990 thriller Misery, according to the New Orleans Film Festival.
The film's Louisiana premiere is set for Saturday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Prytania Theatre Uptown, as part of the festival's 37th annual edition, which runs October 22 through 27 across multiple local venues. Hoodline previously covered the festival's opening lineup, which includes the world premiere of the Irma Thomas documentary Victory as its opening night selection.
