Law Roach has shocked fans after he revealed that he’ll be retiring from his role as a celebrity stylist.
The 44-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a graphic of a red sign that read: “Retired.” Roach, who has notably worked as Zendaya’s stylist, also expressed his gratitude for his peers and clients in the caption of his post.
“My Cup is empty,” he wrote. “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.”
Although he didn’t give a specific reason for his retirement, the former America’s Next Top Model judge did give a subtle reference to what encouraged him to leave the fashion industry.
“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!” headed. “You win … I’m out.”
In the comments of his post, many famous faces have expressed how surprised they are by Roach’s news and encouraged him not to retire.
“WHAT?!” TikTok star Addison Rae commented, while Naomi Campbell added: “Law I won’t let you !!!! We don’t quit .. strived too hard.”
“Not me over here thinking it is April 1st?” model Iskra Lawrence commented, along with three broken red heart emojis.
However, other people showed their support for Roach and resonated with his feelings about the fashion world.
“We all come or go on our OWN terms,” actor Niecy Nash wrote. “ If you’re done because you want your next role, blessings to you…. If you’re having a “moment”, keep your main character energy! Either way: you got this.”
“People don’t understand how exhausting this industry can be. The fun is taken away from what you love most because of the negativity,” entrepreneur Mali Thomas, who owns Mali Magic Beauty, added. “I hope you take the time to reflect on how absolutely dynamic & inspiring you are. Praying that you’re able to lean back into your gift with tunnel vision and peace.”
NeNe Leakes also commented: “Mental health is first,” along with a purple heart emoji.
Roach has been a celebrity stylist since 2009, when he first started working for Kanye West. Since then, he’s continued to help create many A-listers’ looks for different events, including Bella Hadid, Ariana Grande,and Celine Dion.
He’s also become known as Zendaya’s signature stylist, as he styled her four different outfits last month for two events: The NAACP Image Awards and The SAG Awards.
Most recently, he worked with Kerry Washington, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, and Megan Thee Stallion on their looks for Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party on Sunday.
Roach’s retirement announcement also comes four months after he received CFDA’s 2022 inaugural Stylist Award. Speaking to Vogue about the achievement in November, he called it “the ultimate compliment.”
He also described the vision that he has when dressing his clients, explaining: “I think that what maybe separates me from other [stylists] is that I really work hard to find who the person is. I don’t want to ever change that; I just want to help elevate it; for them to be the best version of themselves.”
Before receiving this award last year, The Hollywood Reporter named Roach as one of “Hollywood’s Most Power Stylists in 2021”. He also became the first African American stylist to appear on the cover of the publication’s Stylist & Stars Issue.
