Law Roach recently shed more light on what may have been one of the last straws that led him to announce his retirement from celebrity styling earlier this week.
As previously reported, the self-proclaimed image architect shared a somber Instagram post on Wednesday (March 14) that broke the news of his decision. “My cup is empty. Thank you to everyone [who has] supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, I’m so grateful for you all,” he wrote.
Roach is famously known for helping Zendaya curate and define her flawless fashion reputation. He has also styled other stars, such as Lizzo, Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, Megan Thee Stallion’s big return to the public eye, and countless others. While many speculated that a recent seating debacle at a Paris Fashion Week show he attended with the “Euphoria” star was the catalyst that led him to retire, that simply was not the case. In separate tweets, he informed fans that he and the actress will always be family.
However, in a new interview with The Cut, he shared that a snafu between a celebrity client and her team ahead of an Oscars party was the last straw. “I haven’t been happy, honestly, in a really long time. And the culmination of everything that’s been happening in my career these last few days kind of just pushed me over the edge,” he told the publication on Friday (March 17).
He explained, “That morning, I got a call from one of my clients; it was her, her publicist, and somebody from a brand that I’m supposed to do [a] project with. And I found myself on the phone with these three women, and I felt like I was defending myself because the one woman from the brand was like, ‘Oh, he’s not communicating, and you’re not gonna have a dress,’ and all these things. And it was just a lot of things that were not true.”
The styling icon explained that he was hurt when his client failed to defend him. He noted, “I thought that she knew that my goal always is to protect my clients. And at that moment, I just didn’t feel like I was being protected.” He continued, “That call was very early the very next day after [the Oscars]. And the client was one of the clients that I dressed that night. And it’s just like, I got off the phone, and I felt like I’m still fighting. I’m still fighting. I’m still defending myself.”
The Chicago native has been open in the past about having a different background than his fashion industry counterparts. In part, he told the publication that his humble beginnings have been a catalyst for his work ethic, which resulted in his becoming one of the most sought-after stylists among Hollywood A-listers. Now that his schedule has freed up for the time being, Roach said that he can finally let out a sigh of relief. “I made that post because I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and me releasing that and letting the world know that I’m done with this was the first time that whole week that I really felt like I took a breath, a deep breath.”
This week, he made his runway model debut at the Hugo Boss spring 2023 show, proving that fashion is not yet in his rearview.
Law Roach walking the runaway show at the Hugo Boss Fashion Show.
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) March 16, 2023