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Known for styling celebrities like Zendaya, Ariana Grande and Bella Hadid on the biggest red carpets, Law Roach shocked the fashion world, garnered support and tributes from former clients and sparked a firestorm of conspiracies by announcing his sudden retirement and him cryptically blamed. politics, the lies and false narratives.”
Spring/Summer 2023 on October 2, 2022 in Paris. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage)WireImage
Important facts
Law Roach, 44, earned a reputation as one of fashion’s most well-known stylists, working with some of Hollywood’s biggest names for high-profile events like the Met Gala and other red carpet events.
Just days after styling celebrities for the Oscars, Roach announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Tuesday that shocked fashionistas and his celebrity clients.
Roach is best known for being Zendaya’s “image architect” and building her into a fashion icon (she became the youngest winner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Fashion Icon Award in 2021).
Zendaya, now known for starring in HBO’s Euphoria and movies, landed her first major role on Disney Channel, and Roach said “nobody wanted to dress the Disney girl” — so he took her as his muse and designed one “Plan of Attack” for your style.
At the 2019 camp-themed Met Gala, Roach styled Zendaya as Cinderella and performed as her fairy godmother herself, lighting up her dress with a few flicks of the wrist.
Roach styled Zendaya for her press tour for the 2021 film Dune, created looks inspired by the film and served as costume designer for her 2021 film Malcom & Marie.
Roach also created looks for 10 stars at the 2021 Met Gala that matched the In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion theme, including actress Hunter Schafer, TikTok star Addison Rae, singer Kehlani and Chance the Rapper.
The looks curated by Roach made waves on social media just last Sunday, when Schafer and Megan Thee Stallion’s Vanity Fair Oscars party looks garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on Twitter.
Other Roach clients have included Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Megan Thee Stallion, Halsey, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway.
Roach was rated on the reality competition show America’s Next Top Model from 2016 to 2018 and HBO’s voguing competition show Legendary from 2020 to 2022.
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Following Roach’s Instagram post, fans and former customers flooded his comments section with surprise and sadness. “Law, I will not let you!!!! We don’t give up.. we tried [sic] hard,” commented model Naomi Campbell. “Who are we fighting? Because we need you here love,” wrote rapper Chika. Some praised Roach’s decision to resign. “Mental health comes first,” commented reality TV star NeNe Leakes. “We all come or go on our OWN terms. If you’re done wanting your next role, bless you,” actress Niecy Nash wrote.
Crucial quote
“My trophy is empty… thanks to everyone who has supported me and my career over the years. Every person who has entrusted me with their picture, I am so grateful to you all. If this business was only about clothes I would do it for the rest of my life, but alas it isn’t! The politics, lies and false narratives finally got me! You win…I’m out,” Roach wrote in his retirement post on Instagram on Tuesday.
What we don’t know
Which really led to Roach retiring. Some on social media pointed to Zendaya’s just-announced partnership with Louis Vuitton, which could freeze him as her stylist. And a video that surfaced last week – in which Zendaya took a front-row seat at Louis Vuitton’s Paris Fashion Week, leaving only the second row free for Roach, in what some believed to be a possible Louis Vuitton disposition – was getting again analyzed on social media for hidden clues.
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But others pointed out that Roach has always been vocal about racism and the political nature of the fashion industry. “You can’t talk to me in any way, you can’t handle me in any way. I demand a certain kind of respect, and if you don’t show me that, we’re going to be in trouble. I’m not scared of this industry because I’m black, I’m from the hood, I can always come back,” Roach said in a previous interview. He has also explained that the fashion industry has an underlying racism and that he has felt the energy and conversation shift as he walks into rooms.
Further reading
Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach shocks the fashion world by announcing his retirement (Elle)
Justice for the Law Roach (Elle)
Celebrity Stylist Law Roach on Dressing Zendaya and “Faking It Until You Can” (CNN)
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I’m an explainer and trend reporter for Forbes. Previously, I worked on Forbes’ wealth team, covering billionaires. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in May and spent this summer working on Forbes’ list of top colleges. Before that, I was a news editor for Penn’s student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, as well as a digital intern for NBC News and a foreign intern for Vox.
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