‘I only put her in things other people were wearing’: Law Roach on her Zendaya style trick

Celebrity stylist Law Roach is known for creating iconic red carpet looks, from dressing Zendaya as Cinderella in a Tommy Hilfiger gown with a wave of Roach’s wand to making Anya Taylor-Joy look like Eliza Doolittle in Classic Bob Mackie. In March 2023, she shocked the fashion world by announcing her retirement from everyday fashion. Now the ‘photographer’ has resurfaced with a new venture, an online learning platform called Style School, which aims to help budding stylists navigate the exclusive and obscure fashion industry. Roach will serve as the platform’s chief creative officer. He stopped by Many New Companies podcast to talk about what she hopes to accomplish with Style School, how she helped Zendaya stand out, and what Kamala Harris could do to up her style game.

How did you get started as a stylist?

I opened an old store [in Chicago in 2009]. Kanye West came in, too [the store] just an explosion. We started getting calls from stylists around the world in London, Milan, New York, and LA asking for things. I just started as a stylist. I don’t know if I knew much about fashion, but I knew about style, because style is what you are born with. I did more research and more logging into magazines and YouTube, trying to learn as much as possible.

How to create a look?

For me it always starts with emotion. I have to find out who the client is, and then, when I start the process of looking for a client, I have to [see] if clothes make me feel something. I started to see myself as a storyteller. I found that people enjoyed it when there was some kind of reference point or narrative. [It’s great] when you have a client like Zendaya, who is one of the best at being whatever that character is. For example, at the 2018 Met Gala, Zendaya went as Joan of Arc wearing Versace. His face, his body. He knows how to add character to any story we create.

Your references are everywhere, from Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” music video to Joan of Arc to My Fair Lady. What kind of media do you use?

Social media has made the world a lot smaller. You can find pages with references from the ’80s or ’70s or the Baroque period. Then just go down the rabbit hole and put some pictures in mind.

Why did you want to revive the School of Style?

My main goal is to reduce the gap between dream and reality. There are people all over the world who are not in New York or LA or Paris or Milan where the industry is readily available. So people anywhere can sign up for courses and become an active part of the fashion community.

The School of Style curriculum includes classes in business development. Why is it important to you to teach people how to manage their money?

If you are a self-employed person, if you do not come from a place of financial education, you make a lot of mistakes. My first year of styling I made $120,000 and I thought that was really good. I spent like I made $120,000. I used to live in Chicago, but I lied and told people I lived in LA and was investing in my business. But actually because I was a 1099 employee, it wasn’t taxed. A few years later I swiped at my ATM and the balance was zero. I went to the bank and said, “God, someone stole all my money!” and they were like, “No, that’s the IRS.” Stylists also need to know what type of company they should form: an LLC or an S Corp, for example.

Every graduate of the program receives an interview with Only Agency, a talent agency that represents stylists, photographers, makeup artists, art directors, and production designers. But how do newly made stylists attract customers?

You have to be diligent. Your social media is your portfolio, so are you posting pictures of yourself and your friends on stage or doing test shoots? Getting representation is not the end all, you are still a business owner.

Becoming a stylist has high startup costs. How did you handle that?

Many times your success depends on your credit score. I would borrow clothes from Zendaya and return them. Fortunately, he was an honest 14-year-old. If you start, if [fashion] houses don’t lend you clothes, you have to get clothes somehow. I could wrap more. And even if you get more information and get things out on consignment, you’re still financially responsible and have to get those clothes back the same way. You may have to pay [off] your Amex in 30 days, but you may not get paid for 60 days.

When did brands start reaching out to work with you?

Chaos ensued. When Zendaya and I first started working together, I had an old store, so a lot of what she wore was from there. I only put her in things that other people were wearing because at that time it was a weekly thing [magazines] they were really big and titled “Who Dressed Best?” pages. So whoever is “best dressed” gets a lot of press. I would go into showrooms and pick up things that only other people were wearing, and week after week she would be featured in the weekly papers—99% of the time she would win. Then brands started paying attention and started calling and the world started to open up a little bit.

What was it like working with Zendaya in those days?

His parents trusted me and let me do anything, including making him wear Louboutins until his feet blistered. They just trust the process. Everything was very organized at that time. If you weren’t a singer, you didn’t go to the Grammys. But I begged his spokesman saying “I am building something.” So she just showed up at the Grammys looking incredible. She wore a dress from Ungaro to the Grammys, and the next day Fausto Puglisi, the former creative director of Ungaro. at that time, he called me and said, “I want to take her to the Met Gala.” That was a big moment in our careers.

How do you know when a partnership with someone isn’t working?

Some people come and see Zendaya or Céline Dion and they want that instant magic. But sometimes magic takes time. I want to know who I’m working with so I can dress them authentically. The greatest compliment I have ever received from my clients is that there is no one else like them. That takes time. Some people may be upset that they weren’t on the entire best-dressed list after our first red carpet. Sometimes you have to make a business decision and say it won’t work.

What led you to announce your retirement on Instagram?

I just hit a brick wall. My work had become so great that there was nowhere else for me to go but to do more work. I got all the medals. I was the West Coast editor British Vogue. I did 32 magazine covers, and there are only 12 months in a year. I was managing a global team with four assistants in LA, two in New York, one in London, and one in Paris. I had a family tragedy last year. I felt like I had this responsibility to be the face of what style could look like, being black and all that that means. I was tired. At that time I felt unappreciated. I was invited to Miami for a walk [Hugo] Boss show. I was in the car with my spokesperson and I just started crying. I just went and found this generic picture and posted it with the announcement. [Afterward] My phone was ringing and I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t know if I wanted to retire, but I wanted to be alone, maybe even just for a few hours.

Did the reaction to the announcement surprise you?

I didn’t think anyone would care. The story was in the news cycle all week. We are still talking about it. Naomi Campbell called me and said, “You’re not leaving. We need you! People are watching you!” Edward Happy [former editor-in-chief of British Vogue] he shouted: “You will not let it go.” My phone notifications would not stop. I said. . . what did i do I felt like I had to stop at it.

He once told me that retirement allows you to be happy. What is the secret?

I believe happiness is a habit. You have to work at it the same way you work at the gym. I learned that it is a process. You should wake up every morning expecting that today will be a good day and you will be happy. We cannot control everyone around us but we can control our emotions and how we react to things. I feel so empowered and in control of my choices for the first time in ten years.

In the past you have said that you are saving someone or you are saving a facade. Do you still do that?

LA. a very dangerous place. When you first become known, people begin to treat you in a way that does not deceive them mentally: You begin to think that. you you are a celebrity or a star. There were a lot of things I did when I was younger that I didn’t care about, like going to parties and being in the scene and going out all the time. I came to LA wearing blinders and thought of an easy way to not have peer pressure [was] doing things that make people dislike me. Because if you don’t like me, you won’t invite me, and if you don’t invite me, I won’t feel bad for not coming. It was easy for me to do this persona when people didn’t know who I was. It was a defense mechanism. I was like a snake that had no venom at all but had all the signs of a poisonous snake.

Are you still maintaining a facade?

I don’t need you anymore. I want people to see mine. I want them to see my nurturing, real, soft side.

We are in election season. How to spell Kamala Harris?

I don’t know him and I don’t know what his personal style is. He is 59 years old. You deserve it. I will depend heavily on that. I think young people would enjoy seeing it. I would have liked to see a little more of the waist. But I am known as a risk-taker and disrupter.

Whose style do you like?

The Prince. I wish I had gotten the credit sooner so he would have noticed me.

Do you always look at people’s clothes?

I have this bad habit that I have to fight every day. When I see people, I automatically go, “How can I fix it?”

How can you fix my dress?

So even if you know that you are going to interview me, I will be sitting next to you. . . he chose to wear . . . Vans. But if you were to wear something else, you wouldn’t be comfortable. If [an outfit] it makes you feel comfortable, confident, and empowered and make the right choices.