September 17, 2021 at 01:30AM
From the red carpet to carefully curated street style, celebrity outfits often end up the catalyst of consumer fashion trends and even the inspiration points for designers. Behind the scenes though, there’s an entire glam deserving of accolades and a stylist whose job it is to create those showstopping looks. As far as game changing celebrity stylists go, the Chicago-born self-proclaimed “image architect” Law Roach ranks high as one to watch, though with the star-studded client roster he’s racked up, you’ve probably already been paying attention.
Before becoming an industry mogul, Roach first ran his own vintage boutique, where, he told Fashionista, a customer would serendipitously lead him to meet who would become his biggest styling client, a then 14-year-old Zendaya. Fast forward ten years, and Roach’s relationship with the actor is still going strong. “You come in knowing your value and you do a good job, and you’re kind to people,” Roach told POPSUGAR when we caught up with him at Fashion Week, where he was judging the Supima Design Competition. “It’s passion. When you’re passionate, it outshines everything else.” Over time, he has also worked extensively with the likes of Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Priyanka Chopra, Tiffany Haddish and more. The stylist is even credited with revamping Celine Dion’s image. “I don’t do a lot of street style,” Law says, reflecting on the variety of outfits Dion donned during 2016 Paris Haute Couture Fashion week, “but I invented street style out in Paris with Celine Dion.”
These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a high profile magazine absent of Law Roach’s work as he’s styled everything from Zendaya’s British Vogue cover, to Halsey for Allure, to Christian Serratos for Elle. Long story short, the Chicagoan has styled over 12 magazine covers just this year, and if we’re talking impressive accomplishments, the he also styled a total of 10 clients in one night for this year’s Met Gala. As we saw, none of them were Zendaya, who opted out of the annual event this year, but Law teased that fans would see a couple of new faces he’d be styling. Moreover, Law’s talents have pushed him beyond his styling role. He sat alongside Ashley Graham and Rita Ora as a judge on Cycle 23 of America’s Next Top Model, and currently remains a judge on HBO Max’s Legendary. In 2016, Roach added “designer” to his resume, joining Zendaya as co-creative director of her now-shuddered shoe and clothing line, Daya by Zendaya, before later working alongside the actor to help design her Fall 2019 Zendaya x Tommy Hilfiger collab collection.
With the recognition Roach has amassed comes access, so it’s not uncommon to see his clients strolling in fresh-off-the-runway pieces (see: Zendaya’s recent Alaïa moment), but with Roach being an avowed lover of vintage, you may just well find them in hard to find archive pieces, oftentimes from his own stash. It’s this mix that keeps each look of his looks feeling fresh and exciting, and it’s no wonder Law’s clients trust him enough to take fashion risks. Ahead here’s a trip down memory lane of some of the best ensembles Roach has created, from last week’s Met Gala to moments from the 2010s you’ll thank us for pulling out of the archives.
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Author Jamila Stewart | citywomen.co
Selected by CWC