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For the past 48 hours, the fashion industry has been in disarray following the shock announcement of stylist Law Roach’s retirement. Almost immediately after styling some of the best looks at the 2023 Oscars and Vanity Fair After Party last week — including Hunter Schafer’s feather moment — Roach, longtime stylist of Zendaya, took to Instagram to write that he was “out.”
“The politics , the lies and false narratives finally got me,” Roach wrote in a post that was immediately filled with comments from the likes of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, supermodel Naomi Campbell and fellow celebrity stylist Karla Welch rallying around him.
Social media was immediately full of gossip and rumours about the reasons for Roach’s sudden departure, including that he may have broken off his long-term partnership with Zendaya, which began when she was a Disney teen and was, even by her account, a huge reason for her being taken seriously in the industry as both an actor and fashion icon.
Thankfully, Roach, who, in a huge plot twist, made his runway debut at the BOSS show on Wednesday evening, has now spoken out, confirming he’s still going to be working with Zendaya in the future. “So y’all really think I’m breaking up with Z…we are forever!” he posted on Twitter. In a second tweet, Roach continued, saying, “She’s my little sister and it’s real love not the fake industry love.”
Roach finished off his message with a third tweet featuring a gif from The Color Purple. “Literally me and Zendaya…” he captioned the image, which featured Celie and Nettie reciting, “Me and you must never part.”
Literally me and zendaya…. pic.twitter.com/Ve2dnyzpsW
— LAW ROACH (@LUXURYLAW) March 15, 2023
Roach also gave an interview to Vogue, clarifying his next move. “I’m not saying I’m retiring from fashion. I love fashion. I love the businesses, and I love being creative. What I’m retiring from is the celebrity styling part of it: being in service and at service of other people,” he said, adding, “my clients are my priority, more so than my own health and happiness. And, in my mind, you know, I was [announcing my retirement] just to relieve some pressure for myself, right?”
“I was riding in the car and I made a decision. I said: ‘You know what, I’ve done everything I wanted to do in this career. I’ve received all the awards, the accolades, I’ve changed people’s lives … And I just feel like I’ve had enough, you know?” Roach continued.
Roach noted that his post “wasn’t a PR stunt,” as some online were speculating. “It was really me giving myself the grace to say: It’s okay. You can do something else.”
Okay, but hopefully that ‘something else’ still includes dressing Celine Dion, Hunter Schafer and Megan Thee Stallion, on top of Zendaya. One can only hope.
