If you’re like me, and are obsessed with fashion and celebrities, then you most likely follow celebrity stylists. And if not multiple, there must be at least one you keep on your feed: stylist to the stars, Law Roach. Law Roach has made quite a name for himself in the fashion industry, after starting off as Zendaya’s stylist when she was 14 years old. Though Zendaya is the client he’s most often tied to, Law also styles numerous other A-listers, such as Kerry Washington, Ariana Grande, Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, Celine Dion, Megan Thee Stallion, Tom Holland, Priyanka Chopra, Anne Hathaway, and others. He’s responsible for many of Hollywood’s most glamorous and talked about looks. If there’s a fit from the Emmys, Oscars, or Golden Globes that stood out to you, you can assume that Law Roach is behind it. All this to say, he’s Hollywood’s favorite “image architect.”
That’s why I, along with so many others, was shocked when I opened Instagram on March 14th and saw a post from Law announcing his retirement. I had just seen his Oscars looks on my feed and was confused about what was happening, or if I was reading everything right. Unfortunately, I was. In his caption, Law writes, “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.” Many celebrities flooded the comments, either sending support or begging him not to leave the industry. Fans wondered about the reasoning for his swift and unexpected exit at the height of his career. Only having his vague caption to go off of, people jumped to conclusions and blamed Zendaya for a seating scandal involving Law at a recent Louis Vuitton show. That wasn’t the reason for Roach’s retirement, and he clarified that online while stating that he and Zendaya “are forever” on his Twitter, along with several other tweets reminding fans that the seating debacle was not what they made it out to be, and had no impact on his retirement.
In an interview with “The Cut,” Law detailed how the week leading up to the Oscars is one of the most stressful, especially if you’re a stylist who dresses multiple clients, like him. He also spoke on his retirement, how he wasn’t able to process his 3-year-old nephew’s death because of work, and how he just felt worn out and hurt by the industry. Law alluded to the fact that when you’re a Black person in an industry like this, you give your all, and you don’t necessarily get the love, respect, and trust back.
Although I love Law’s work, his decision to leave at his peak makes me respect him even more. As people of color in white-dominated industries (which is almost all of them), you have to work ten times harder to get to the same place as your white counterparts. That can be draining, and that’s exactly what Law was—drained.
His decision to retire shows people of color, and especially Black people, that you are allowed to take a step back to rest and to choose yourself and your needs. Even if you’re at the height of your career, your mental health and ability to breathe are far more important than your productivity. This is a crucial reminder that I feel many of us need to hear. We are more than what we give to other people, and if the spaces we’re inhabiting are draining us, especially for reasons that have to do with institutional racism, then it’s okay for us to leave those spaces. Choosing yourself is hard, particularly when you’ve been taught that your worth is directly linked to what you produce, but Law shows us that is necessary. His work is truly an inspiration, but his message to marginalized groups about allowing ourselves to take the time and space we need to heal ourselves will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his stunning legacy as well.