Stylist Law Roach Announces Retirement

Image from Creative Commons

Law Roach is one of the most revolutionary stylists in the industry to date. Styling big names such as Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, etc. Law Roach has made his mark on this industry, so much so that he has trademarked himself as an “Image Architect,” in an interview with Logo. So, it surprised the world when he announced via an Instagram post that he would be retiring. 

The post stated “My cup is empty…. Thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, im so grateful for you all. If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics, the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win…. I’m out.”

The sudden announcement came shortly after an incident at the 2023 Louis Vuitton Fashion Week show. Law Roach and Zendaya were caught in traffic on their way to the show, making them late. After arriving Zendaya quickly found her seat, however Law’s seat was nowhere to be found. 

In a recent interview with New York Magazine, Law cleared rumors and clarified what actually happened. In summary, Law explained that he and Zendaya were frantically rushed to their seats by the LV staff. Law who usually sits next to Zendaya at shows, was not shown where he would be sitting by any of the staff. 

In the video, Zendaya is pointing behind an empty seat. Social media speculated and assumed that she was motioning Law to sit behind her in the seat, claiming that she wasn’t doing enough to support Law. However, Law reassured in the interview that this was not the case and that Zendaya was simply motioning that the seat was assigned to her assistant, Darnell. Law was finally directed to a seat, still sitting front row, however he was not next to Zendaya. Law made sure that Zendaya was not to blame for this incident. So, who exactly is to blame?

People on social media speculated that Law had conflict with Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, or LVMH, the company that owns Louis Vuitton. He stated it was not true. LVMH is a high-quality goods company that owns over 75 distinguished designer houses, including Louis Vuitton, Dior and many more. These rumors surfaced after an altercation between Dior, a house under LVMH and Law. 

Law had to “stand up for himself” against the designer house after working on a look for actress Anya Taylor-Joy. “I had collaborated with Dior on a couple of dresses for Anya and so when the looks came out, there was no credit to the Stylist.” 

When custom looks are done for a celebrity, or anyone for that matter, a team is in collaboration for the curation of the look. That team consists of the model’s stylist. When the look was released to the public, Law’s credit towards the creation was nonexistent. “Don’t erase me,” Law said to New York Magazine. “Don’t erase my contribution to this look, to this dress. Don’t erase, all the phone calls, the emails, the text messages, and going back and forth, and me working to make sure that my client was happy.” 

People speculated that when Law advocated for himself against Dior, LVMH perceived it as disrespectful. In retaliation, people on social media hypothesized that LVMH conspired the Louis Vuitton show incident, essentially getting back at Law. However, Law discredited this by stating that there is “no beef” with LVMH.

For the past two years, according to The Outlet, Zendaya has been the face of Valentino. Valentino often recognized the significance of Law’s position as Zendaya’s stylist, expressing their gratitude by having them sit next to each other in every show they attended. Law states in the interview that he has had the most incredible time working with Valentino. They have always recognized his contribution towards the looks he’s had a hand curating for Zendaya. It seems the same couldn’t be said about LVMH.

The incident that happened may have contributed to Law’s retirement, but it was not the sole reason. At the end of the day, Law Roach has been in the industry for over a decade, and that alone has its fair share of trials and tribulations. “As Black people in this country, it is embedded in us to suffer,” he states “and I have been suffering for years. I woke up and made that post because I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Me releasing that and letting the world know that I was done was the first time I felt like I took a deep breath. I don’t want to suffer no more.”