Law Roach has been Zendaya’s stylist since she was a teenager. Law had as much to do with crafting Zendaya’s celebrity status as her agent and manager – it was Law transforming a child star into an It Girl and serious “fashion girl.” Zendaya’s styling has helped promote every one of her projects, and her red carpet appearances help ensure global headlines for every one of her projects too. While Law enjoyed a full roster of clients for many years, these days, he’s no longer a stylist-on-demand, and he only works with Zendaya and a few particular clients, plus he’s pursuing other ventures. Law recently spoke to The Cutting Room about styling Zendaya and how many fashion houses simply refused to work with her in the early days.

Zendaya and fashion may have become synonymous throughout the years, but according to her stylist, she hasn’t always been the go-to-girl for big brands looking to showcase their designs. In an interview with The Cutting Room Floor shared on Patreon Thursday, May 9, the actress’ long-time collaborator, Law Roach, said it was a challenge to get certain luxury fashion houses to work with the Challengers star, 27.

“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,’” Roach, 45, said during the interview.

The episode was filmed on April 22 — two weeks before the Dune star walked the red carpet at the 2024 Met Gala, where she also served as a co-chair for the event. For the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” theme, Zendaya wore a gown by Maison Margiela’s John Galliano. According to Roach, he kept “all the receipts” from the “big five” who had previously turned his client down.

“By the time she had got to American Vogue, she still had never wore any of those designers — she still hasn’t,” he said. The host seemed surprised by his confession, so Roach explained a bit further.

“In an editorial, yes. But on a red carpet, 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,” Roach said.

“The first time she wore Valentino in public is when she had a contract,” he added of Zendaya. He continued, “So when I said, ‘If you say no, it’ll be a no forever,’ that rang true for a long, long time.”

[From People]

I understand that there are layers to this but one of the biggest factors is racism – they didn’t want a (beautiful) young Black actress in their designs. That was probably true of Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior, and hell, probably Gucci and Valentino too. Although I do wonder about Gucci – they’ve been trying to trend younger and cooler for years now and it feels like Zendaya would have been a good fit for Gucci at some point. It probably wasn’t solely about Zendaya either – it was that a Black stylist was making these requests for a Black actress. It reveals that many houses are not and were not forward-thinking enough to understand that Zendaya would become who she is today, one of the most major “fashion girls” in the world. “If you say no, it’ll be a no forever.” That one sentence is a masterclass in knowing your worth and your client’s worth.

(Also, I’m genuinely glad that Zendaya didn’t get stuck in Chanel’s web or Dior’s web – those two houses grab young celebrity women and lock them into exclusive contracts and then proceed to force those women into some of the worst clothes ever.)

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.