Renowned stylist Law Roach has been an especially hot name in fashion recently, with his involvement in Zendaya‘s jaw-dropping ensembles she wore for the Met Gala, Challengers and Dune press junkets. In a recent episode of The Cutting Room Floor podcast, Law Roach revealed that there are five luxury fashion house houses that once refused to dress Zendaya, and has now led to the actress choosing not to wear their designs until now.
During the interview, Roach explained which of the five houses have turned down Zendaya in the past, “I would write the big five. I would write Saint Laurent, Chanel, Gucci, Valentino, Dior, and they would all say, ‘No, try again next year. She’s too green. She’s not on our calendar.” He added, “I still have the receipts. By the time she got to [the cover of] American Vogue [in 2017], she still had never worn any of those designers. She still hasn’t.” Roach does clarify that Zendaya has worn some of these “big five” brands for editorial shoots but never for public appearances or during red carpets. Roach said, “She still has never worn Dior on a carpet. She still has never worn Chanel on a carpet. She has still never worn Gucci on a carpet — any press, any appearance, never. Never.” He did explain that she only wore Valentino because of a contract, “The first time she wore Valentino in public is when she had a contract.”
Roach has worked with Zendaya since she was 14. Styling the young actress since her teens, there has always been a sense of loyalty between the both of them. Roach and Zendaya both evidently remember the past and their actions to not work with certain luxury brands, no matter how big, is a story that celebrates self-worth, “When I said, ‘If you say no, it’ll be a no forever,’ that rang true for a long, long time.” As close as family at this point, the duo have worked together on several projects over the years. Roach recently made a splash styling Zendaya for the Challengers and Dune red carpets, and earlier this month with the show-stopping gowns for the Met Gala 2024 in two gowns by John Galliano, first in a custom Maison Margiela look and the other in an archival Givenchy look.
