"I would write the big five" — Zendaya's stylist Law Roach calls out popular fashion houses for refusing to dress the actress back in the day

Zendaya's longtime stylist, Law Roach, is calling out luxury fashion houses for refusing to dress the actress early in her career. During his Thursday, May 9, 2024, appearance on The Cutting Room Floor podcast, Roach, who has dressed the star since she was 14, stated —

"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."

Law Roach was a friend of Zendaya's father (and manager), Kazambe Coleman. He first styled the Spiderman star for the premiere of Justin Bieber's Never Say Never in 2011, and the two have collaborated ever since.

In his May 2024 interview with The New York Times ahead of the 2024 Met Gala, he stated he and the actress are "fashion soul mates."

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"She was always the one advocating for me" — Law Roach on his styling journey with Zendaya

The 45-year-old "image architect" told host and designer Recho Omondi that despite Zendaya's shot to fame and even appearing on the cover of American Vogue in June 2017, she hasn't donned a piece from the big five fashion houses. Law Roach explained —

"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."

When Omondi was skeptical about the statement, he elaborated that the Challengers star has worn some outfits by the brands in question, but only in editorial shoots and never in public appearances or red carpet appearances. He added that the first time she wore a Valentino, she was under a contract.

"When I said, ‘If you say no, it’ll be a no forever,’ that rang true for a long, long time."

Meanwhile, earlier in the podcast, Roach was asked about his confidence, and he credited Zendaya for helping him hold his ground early in his fashion career. He stated —

"She was always the one advocating for me and making sure I was in these rooms that people thought I didn’t belong in. Even as a young girl, I’m talking about 16, 17 years old."

He elaborated that during their meetings with clients, there were times when they tried to "make him invisible" and "try to talk around him." However, the former Disney star would say, "‘Oh, well, he just asked you a question." Talking about the 27-year-old's response, Law added, "When someone would try to take the power, she would hand it right back to me."

In 2022, Law Roach became the first-ever recipient of the Stylist Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Just a handful of months later, the stylist took to his Instagram to announce his retirement. "The politics, the lies, and false narratives finally got me! You win. I'm out," he wrote —

"So y'all really think I'm breaking up with Z...we are forever!" and "She's my little sister and it's real love not the fake industry love."

While the news came as a shock, many questioned whether Law Roach would not work with Zendaya again. The stylist, for his part, later cleared up that he was still styling for the 27-year-old in an X post and wrote, "So y’all really think I’m breaking up with Z….. we are forever!"

He told The New York Times (May 2024) that he was the "most unretired retired person." He added that he was doing everything on his own terms now and was "saying no to a lot of unhappy people, except for Zendaya; he can’t say no to her."

For the Met Gala 2024, Law Roach styled Zendaya three times. At the time, he told ET, the pair "pinky promised" to support each other and help each other grow. Calling each other "family," he quipped that she was his "annoying sister" and he was her "annoying big brother."