Law Roach has broken his silence on a viral video of him and Zendaya that prompted fans to speculate there is tension between the two friends.
The 44-year-old stylist addressed his interaction with Zendaya at Louis Vuitton’s fashion show earlier this month during a recent interview with The Cut. In the now viral clip, documented on 6 March, the Euphoria star could be seen sitting front row at the event, before Roach came up to her.
She then pointed at a seat in the row behind her, seemingly indicating where he was sitting, which prompted Roach to shake his head. Fans later speculated that the incident between the pair is what led Roach to announce last week that he was retiring from styling.
However, during his conversation with The Cut, Roach shut the speculation down and explained what really happened at the show. He recalled that he and Zendaya “got stuck in traffic” before the event and that there was “a long walk” to get to their seats.
“So it was a lot of anxiety, because Zendaya is really respectful and she doesn’t like people to have to wait on her, and so it was just anxiety,” he explained. “So the Vuitton team was like shuffling us as fast as possible to the seats.”
Roach further emphasised his anxiety in the moment, as he and Zendaya “just came from a house where she was the only face, the only ambassador”. He went on to explain that while the seating arrangement at the fashion show wasn’t what he expected, it wasn’t something that he took issue with.
“Even for years, like, I’m always used to sitting next to her. And so, in my mind, my seat was next to her,” the stylist continued. “So when I got there and it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t a problem, but there was nobody to tell me where my actual seat was.”
Roach then clarified that when Zendaya turned and pointed at the seat behind her, she wasn’t telling him to sit there. “It was her telling me like, ‘That’s Darnell’s seat,’ which is her assistant,” he continued. “I’m not gonna sit in Darnell’s seat. So then where does he go?”
He explained how “hot” the room was and that he was “sweating” in his suit, before emphasising that he arrive to the show from a house where he’s used to sitting with the Dune star.
“It’s right next to her, and it’s always right next to her, because that’s part of our relationship and our interaction, seeing the clothes together,” he said about his usual seat. “And you know, the little cues, and little such, like, that’s the look.”
Roach noted the video from the show, where he had told a peer that he didn’t know where he was sitting, ultimately created false rumours about his relationship with Zendaya and Delphine Arnault, the Vice President of Louis Vuitton.
“That became really tough, because it made people think that Zendaya wasn’t taking care of me and wasn’t making sure I was taken care of,” he continued. “And then it became this thing with Delphine Arnault. I was like, Where did that come from? And so, now I have a beef with LVMH, and there’s no beef with LVMH.”
He concluded his remarks by highlighting how “kind” the Arnault family has been to him and said that Delphine sent him a gift after the show.
“Like, even after the show, we went to the after-party,” he said. “I had a whole conversation with her and congratulated her on her move to Dior. She sent me a beautiful bag, and it’s like, there’s no beef.”
The stylist went on toe describing the inaccuracy of these rumours, adding: “And I also think that played into it, because everybody thinks that I have this beef. That I’m just beefing with LVMH for what people think. Which is crazy.”
Roach’s comments about his interaction with Zendaya comes days after he revealed that he’ll be leaving his role as a celebrity stylist. He took to Instagram 14 March to share a graphic of a red sign that read: “Retired.”
“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,” he wrote. “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!”
However, following his retirement announcement, Roach made it clear that he’d still be working with Zendaya. “So y’all really think I’m breaking up with Z….. we are forever!” he tweeted. “She’s my little sister and it’s real love, not the fake industry love.”
