It was a regular degular Tuesday in the fashion world. Red carpet looks from the Oscars weekend was still flooding down our feeds juxtaposed with street style shots from Tokyo Fashion Week, and then the world stopped. At exactly 1:18 PM EST, celebrity stylist Law Roach announced his retirement via Instagram.
In a saddening post which now has 11,000+ comments and counting, Roach uploaded a photo of a red and white ‘RETIRED’ sign with a heartstring-gripping caption:
“My Cup is empty….. thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, I’m so grateful for you all. If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics , the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win … I’m out.“
Law Roach is most famously known as the mastermind behind the looks of actress and style icon Zendaya. Since 2011 the pair have made a name for themselves in fashion, working together on iconic looks like the illuminating Cinderella-inspired Tommy Hilfiger gown she wore to the 2019 Met Gala, the cobweb-covered custom Valentino for the Spider-Man: No Way Home premiere, and who could forget the look that caused all that conversation: the silk Vivienne Westwood paired with faux locs for the 2015 Academy Awards. Even before Zendaya was cemented as a red carpet It Girl , Roach worked with the young starlet on her short livid clothing line Daya by Zendaya.
The Euphoria star wasn’t his only A-lister client. Since turning her into a versatile style queen, Roach has worked with Celine Dion, Tiffany Haddish, Megan Thee Stallion, Kerry Washington, Anya Taylor-Joy and more.
Roach brought his exquisite eye and love for fashion to the house of Hervé Léger ––where he collabed with the brand on a resort collection––as well as the stage of HBO’s Legendary: the ballroom competition show where he acted as a judge for all three seasons. Law Roach’s place in the industry is well deserved, and because of that, news of his retirement comes as a surprise to not only fashion fans but insiders and designers alike. Nevertheless, he’s not to blame if the politics behind the scenes are dragging him down. Even celebrity stylists must go where they are celebrated and appreciated. Unfortunately, the fashion industry isn’t that place.