Zendaya and Image Architect, Law Roach
If you’ve been following red carpet looks over the past two years or happen to be part of the huge fan base belonging to Zendaya, you’ve probably fangirled over the numerous looks she’s pulled, always collaborating with her stylist and close friend, Law Roach. Well-known by his social media persona, @LuxuryLaw, he prefers the title of ‘Image Architect’ to stylist, and seemingly lives up to this name by enlisting a reaction of admiration through many of his feats. Law Roach and Zendaya have worked closely with one another since she was 14 and starring on Disney Channel, but their fashion partnership has evolved to a level so far beyond any duo I’ve ever seen. From creating a Tommy Hilfiger Cinderella dress that actually lit up for the 2019 Met, to pulling iconic vintage archives and creating perfectly-themed ensembles, Zendaya and Law Roach carry the torch for what celebrity-stylist unions should entail.
Beginning with the most recent Zendaya x Luxury Law triumph, the cover of Vogue Italia harnesses sultry and other-wordly energy that translates with such satisfaction and mastery that it might just be one of my favourite Vogue covers of all time (and this is a hard list to get on!). Sporting a studded Valentino minidress from the ‘Anatomy of Couture’ collection and Bulgari jewels from the ‘Eden The Garden of Wonders’ collection, Zendaya and the entirety of the cover shoot visually transports the audience to a deeper part of perception and admiration.
Because vintage and archive fashion are two of my favourite aspects of clothing design, the next two looks are extremely iconic and showcase how timeless and enduring fashion can be. For the 2022 NAACP Image Awards, Law Roach hand-picked the 1956 Vintage Balmian gown that perfectly represented the power and grace with which Zendaya embodies. The deep red and green colours of the dress harnesses the house’s lasting effect of elegance; something themed flawlessly with the celebration of the night.
If you haven’t seen this look on Zendaya at the 2021 BET Awards, then you MUST’VE seen it worn by Beyonce at the BET Awards in 2003 when she performed ‘Crazy in Love’, one of her first solo performances after Destiny’s Child. Now archived by Valentino, this SS03 dress boasts a unique and stunning colour combo of deep purple and neon yellow that features a show-stopping silhouette. Not only does Zendaya look fabulous, but the action of wearing (and pulling off) archive as iconic as this is highly admirable.
While there are many more Zendaya and Law Roach collaborations I could rave about, one in particular stands out for being so daring that it seems to transcend fashion to the future. For the 2020 Critic’s Choice Awards, Zendaya wore a custom fuschia breastplate by Tom Ford with a fuschia floor-length skirt to top off this bold monochromatic look. Not only did the outfit stand out from anything else seen on the red carpet that night, but the way it was made surpasses traditional garment production. The long and technical process of a 3D body scan was needed to fabricate a custom mold to create the metallic breastplate, intersecting fashion with technology and setting the bar for the future of fashion construction.