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It was a video seen all around the world.
Zendaya, dressed to the nines in a Louis Vuitton tiger-striped blazer and matching hot pants seemingly pointing to the back row at the French Maison’s Fall/Winter 2023 runway show during Paris Fashion Week.
Deciphering the subtext, it seemed that the 26-year-old actress was signalling to her long-term fashion ‘fairy godfather’ and “image architect”, Law Roach, to take a seat behind her rather than next to her, apparently much to his dismay.
In the days that followed the event, Roach took to Instagram to announce his shocking retirement, citing “lies and false narratives” as a contributing factor for his departure from the industry.
This you know already. We’ve documented the ins and outs of the aftermath of this incident; Zendaya’s subsequent Louis Vuitton Capucines campaign (which was styled by Roach), his broken silence debunking the matter, and the theories conflating the Louis Vuitton front-row fiasco with Roach’s decision to step back.
All parties involved have denied that Roach sitting in a different section to Zendaya at the show contributed to him leaving celebrity styling. Yet, here we are, months later still discussing and theorising the minutia of the occurrence. Was it a seating plan gone wrong? Are we reading too much into it?
Now, Zendaya herself has come forward to address the matter herself and defend Roach after the “hurtful” saga.
“When it happened, I said, ‘Oh no, I hope people don’t try to create something from this,’” she revealed to ELLE. Zendaya explained that she and Roach arrived at the show late. Flustered and without an obvious space for Roach to sit, she pointed to her assistant Darnell’s seat gesticulating to Roach to take that spot.
“We’re so used to sitting together that he didn’t know where to go,” she added. “But obviously, people want to assume the worst of the situation, which is not always easy to deal with and hurtful.”
Zendaya also clarified where their relationship now stands. Roach’s role has shifted from being a pure stylist to being her overall creative director.
“He’s involved in every fashion contract, everything I do,” she noted. “If I have an opportunity where he can come with me, he’s always going to be there. He’s always been my creative director in a sense, and he continues to fill that role because it’s more than just clothes on a red carpet. It’s a bigger thing.”
Roach also echoed this sentiment: “Our relationship is like family, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere—and even if I wanted to, she wouldn’t let me.”
Where Law was supposed to sit at the Louis Vuitton will be a mystery that remains unsolved. But like some case files, can we just let this one go cold? Especially when Zendaya and Roach are continuing to feed us with spicy looks?
Though, this update does offer an opportune moment to gently remind any publicists in our midst to triple-check your seating plans, especially ahead of fashion month. If there’s one thing to glean from this situation, it’s to cross-reference your allocations, have ample signage and keep a space in the front row reserved just in case.
