Law Roach’s name is linked to celebrities like Zendaya, Celine Dion and Ariana Grande, but the stylist gave equal billing to his hardscrabble upbringing in a talk at 92Y Sunday night.
During a “Fashion Icons” conversation with Fern Mallis in New York, the American talent was upfront about his mother’s struggles with addiction, and his willingness as a teenager to do “whatever he felt he needed to do to survive.” At the age of 14, his mother moved out of their Chicago house with his brothers and told Roach he would need to work to provide for himself. That instilled in him a sense of survival that at one point led to stealing. Toward the end of the 85-minute talk, he said, “You guys know the back story. I really came from nothing — going to bed hungry, sleeping on the floors at night. All of these distinguished accomplishments and accolades are just by-products of the hard work [I’ve done.] That makes me feel so great and appreciated. Also, to be a queer Black man and have people appreciate my contributions to fashion and the ways that I’ve opened doors for people, who look like me, is the most important thing to me.”
Much of what was discussed can be found in his book “How to Build a Fashion Icon.” “I’ve always said that I don’t want my legacy to be I put pretty girls in pretty dresses. I have to have done something to impact people’s lives in a positive way,” Roach said.
Here are some of the highlights of the experiences that have shaped his life.
Family Dynamics
One of my brothers has a real problem with my sexuality and the way that I present. That’s his problem, not mine. I am very close to one of my [two] sisters and to one of my [two] brothers. Not bad odds — 50-50.
I was born this way. I was born queer. I have always been a very feminine boy — proud of it. I also was born with the last name “Roach,” so you guys can imagine [what that was like] growing up. We moved a lot because of my mom’s addiction. I never seemed to start school on the first day, [imitating how he would introduce himself meekly at the front of the class.] After that, it would be like, ‘Gay Roach, Gay Roach.’] My grandfather asked if people teased me because of the way I talked and because of my last name. I told him no. He said, ‘Listen. Let me tell you they will never forget the way you speak and your last name.’ He taught me that two things that could have torn me down made me stronger.
How Chicago Shaped His View
Growing up the icons that I looked at were the people who were in the streets like the drug dealers and the pimps. They were the first people who we saw growing up that had any type of wealth. Those were the people we wanted to emulate. We wanted to have the clothes that they were wearing. There is a term in the culture called “peacocking.” The guys on the street corners would be wearing bright colors and flashy jewelry. We used to watch them and want to be like them. I took those memories and experiences into my work. You don’t call Law Roach if you want a little black dress. You call Law Roach if you want a moment. Everything I learned growing up I just brought it to Hollywood. It just kind of worked out.
Posting “Retired” on His Instagram After “an Incident” at Louis Vuitton Show
That had nothing to do with it. That was the internet causing trouble. The year before my 3-year-old nephew fell from the window of his father’s apartment building 17 stories dow, and he passed away. I never got to grieve that passing. I met him but I didn’t feel that I knew him. I had done all these things that Kerry [Washington praised him when presenting him with the first CFDA Stylist award in 2022], but I still felt disposable. Styling is a thankless business. I got to the point, where I started to not like myself. I asked my cousin to reschedule my uncle’s funeral because I had a fitting.…When you work with celebrities, people start to put you on this pedestal. I never asked to be there but then I found myself enjoying it a little bit too much. I just wanted to get away. The funny thing was when I put up that post, I wanted people to stop calling me. But the phone started ringing more. It backfired. I just needed some peace.
Being a Stylist Is Being Part of the Service Industry
I am no different from the housekeeper, the nanny or the gardener. Yes, it may be a little more glamorous but at the end of the day, it’s just a service. I needed to figure out how to be of service to people in a different way. That’s why I wrote the book. I wanted to bottle up that confidence that I had given to celebrities to everyday people. Doing that helped me to figure out all the things that I didn’t like about myself and things that I loved about myself. That gave me a way to move through life with just love and joy.
Fending for Himself at 14
If you have a house to yourself at 14, you’re like, “Party, party, party.” When winter came around, Chicago winters are deadly. I didn’t have money to pay for the utilities. What it taught me is that no one is going to take care of you the way that you can, will or should. It made me have the ultimate hustler’s mentality. If your mother tells you, “If you don’t work, you won’t eat,” that sets a fire in you. When I came to L.A., that made me work super hard. But it also made me take every opportunity like it was my last because I never wanted to go back and live the way I had before. Although that [drive] got me to a different place, it was also detrimental to me. I felt like I had to say “yes” to everything even to things, people and teams that made me miserable.
Law Roach
Peter Jamus/Michael Priest Photography
How He Financed Academic Degrees
Student loans, which I still own. [Fern Mallis: You haven’t been able to pay them back?] I just don’t want to. I’m waiting for these politicians to keep their promises.
Opening Deliciously Vintage Shop With Siobhan Strong
I started by having little parties to sell the vintage [clothes.] I would get a dress for maybe $4 and we would take it to a seamstress to have the waist taken in and to shorten the hem. That led me to opening the store. It was just one hustle after another. We were there for three years until I made the decision to move to L.A. Kanye West came in the store once when he was dating Amber Rose, who we all enjoy. But she didn’t speak. Somehow the media caught ahold of it. We started getting calls from stylists from all over the world and we started selling clothes to them. That’s when I understood that styling was a very viable career. That gave me a lot of hope.
Meeting Zendaya in 2011
Chastity Clark, who is still like a big sister to me, told me to come to L.A. and to bring a lot of clothes. She said we would hang out and she would spend a lot of money on clothes. She said that one of her best friends was coming over and bringing her daughter, who just landed this Disney show. I was like, “OK, great, whatever.” You know when you meet someone they just have this [indescribable] thing right away? Zendaya walked in. She was 13, 5-foot-10 and beautiful.
Shopping With Zendaya for a Justin Bieber Premiere
We went to the mall and separated to pick out all of these outfits. When we got back, her dad scolded her for running off with a man they didn’t know. We’ve been together ever since. We went to Kitson and she wore this silver Alice + Olivia blazer and an Alexander Wang patent leather skirt. When she was on her way to the red carpet, she said, “What if people don’t like it?” I put my hands on her shoulders and said, “Who gives a f–k?” In that moment, I saw something click in her. She went on that carpet and worked it.
How an American Express Card Parlayed Into Media Coverage for Zendaya
Early on, I would go to Barneys [New York] and Bergdorf Goodman to get all of these clothes with my AmEx card. I would beg her not to spill anything because the clothes had to go back [to the stores after the events.] I had a pact with her parents that they would have to buy shoes. And I would get the clothes.
Being Turned Down by Big Brands to Borrow Clothes
All of them turned me down — every single one of them. That was years ago and the landscape of fashion was so much different. Thank God we’ve seen a lot more diversity in who these brands are dressing. I am very proud to say Zendaya had never worn Valentino until she became the face of Valentino [in 2020]. With social media making the world so small and there being so many beautiful clothes in the world, we knew we didn’t need the big brands. When they did call me, being the hustler from Chicago, I said, “Well, if you want her, pay for her.”
Getting Zendaya Media Attention
At that time, there were a lot of weeklies that did “Who Wore It Better?” features. And people didn’t look at Disney stars as real celebrities or actresses then. I would go to showrooms to try to pull [looks] for Zendaya and they would say, “Who is she?” and “Who are you?” I told them that I was OK with pulling dresses that other people had already worn, if they were OK with that. I knew that she would be able to carry it and look better [than the other person had]. Nine times out of 10 she would always win “Who Wore It Best?’” What I started to learn in Hollywood was the girl who get the most press, gets the best dress. The more she got talked about [in the media] the more people would open up [their doors] to lend us clothes.
Connecting With Celine Dion
Celine called because of my work with Ariana Grande and Zendaya. Celine changed the trajectory of my career. She made me global. Celine Dion is a superstar. She is one of the last true divas that we have. I am still working with her. The look that made the world tremble was putting her in the Vetements sweatshirt with the Titanic [imagery]. That was one of my proudest accomplishments.
