Zendaya may be one of Hollywood’s brightest stars today, but her longtime stylist, Law Roach, just revealed that some luxury fashion houses were once reluctant to dress her.
Appearing on the latest episode of The Cutting Room Floor podcast with Recho Omondi, Law — who’s been styling Zendaya since she was 14 — talked about being turned down by Chanel, Saint Laurent, Dior, Gucci, and Valentino when trying to source looks for Z earlier in her career.
“I would write [to] the big five… and they would all say no. ‘Try again next year,’ ‘she’s too green,’ ‘she’s not on our calendar,’” he recalled being told at the time, adding that he’s kept “all the receipts.”
It wasn’t long after this that Zendaya shot to superstardom, making her Met Gala debut at 18 and scoring a coveted American Vogue cover just two years later. And while such major milestones may have altered the designers’ attitudes towards dressing her, Law made it clear that the initial reluctance won’t be forgotten.
“By the time she got to American Vogue, she still had never wore any of those designers. She still hasn’t,” he said, clarifying that Z only started wearing Valentino in public after she signed a major contract with the brand in 2020.
When Recho responded in disbelief, Law said that, aside from in editorial shoots, Zendaya hasn’t worn looks by any of those labels and won’t anytime soon — all because they were so quick to turn her down at the start.
“She still has never worn Dior on a carpet. She still has never worn Chanel on a carpet. She has still never worn Gucci on a carpet — any press, any appearance, never. Never,” he said. “The first time she wore Valentino in public is when she had a contract, so when I said, ‘If you say no, it’ll be a no forever,’ that rang true for a long, long time.”
Law’s mantra seriously impressed fans online, who praised him for advocating for Z and knowing her worth, even when others seemingly didn’t.
Moreover, plenty of other users called out the major designers that missed out on a chance to work with Z and Law — who will surely go down in Hollywood history as one of the most iconic fashion duos of all time.
Law — who’s become known for pulling incredible archival looks for his clients — previously said that he had to dig into vintage archives out of “necessity” when he and Zendaya first started working together because so few designers were willing to dress her.