Law Roach Named the Designers Zendaya Still Avoids on Red Carpets

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Article Summary: Law Roach confirmed on Ziwe Fumudoh's podcast that Zendaya still won't wear Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Valentino or Saint Laurent, and he said "no" when asked if that's about to change.


The Law Roach Zendaya designers conversation is back in the spotlight. The stylist confirmed, once again, that five major fashion houses still won’t dress his longtime client. Roach appeared on Ziwe Fumudoh’s podcast over the weekend and revisited a boycott he first revealed in 2024. This time, Ziwe asked him point-blank whether the freeze would ever thaw.

Law Roach says five fashion houses still refuse to dress Zendaya on red carpets: Saint Laurent, Dior, Valentino, Chanel and Gucci. Those houses rejected her early in her career. Roach told Ziwe Fumudoh he has personally let go of some pettiness. But he answered “no” when she asked if Zendaya would now wear one of the excluded brands.

This update matters because Roach rarely revisits this story on his own. Ziwe raised it directly on her podcast, You’d Be an Iconic Guest, over the weekend. That gave Roach a fresh platform to confirm the Zendaya designer boycott still stands.

Why Won’t Law Roach Dress Zendaya in Dior or Chanel?

Roach’s reasoning traces back to the earliest years of his partnership with Zendaya. Several fashion houses declined to lend her clothes at all. “You have an unofficial red carpet boycott on Saint Laurent, Dior, Valentino, Chanel and Gucci because they said no to dressing Zendaya when you first started,” Ziwe said to Roach. He didn’t dispute the framing.

Roach’s answer leaned philosophical rather than defensive. “I think that there is an importance to being petty, but I’ve outgrown my pettiness,” he told Ziwe. He added that holding grudges “makes you ugly.” Notably, he wore Saint Laurent during the interview itself. Even so, his personal shift hasn’t changed his professional stance. That’s exactly why Zendaya’s Chanel red carpet appearances still don’t exist.

Key Takeaways:

  • Law Roach has styled Zendaya since she was 14 years old, more than a decade into their working relationship.
  • Roach discussed the boycott on Ziwe Fumudoh’s podcast, You’d Be an Iconic Guest, released the weekend of August 15–16, 2026.
  • Ziwe asked directly if Zendaya would eventually wear one of the five houses; Roach answered “no.”

Which Five Fashion Houses Rejected Zendaya Early in Her Career?

The list hasn’t changed since Roach first named it: Saint Laurent, Dior, Valentino, Chanel and Gucci. He calls them the “big five.” Roach has said in past interviews that Law Roach’s Dior, Chanel, and Gucci rejections followed a near-identical script. Each house told him to try the following season again during Zendaya’s Disney Channel years.

The Early Rejections, in Roach’s Words

Roach has detailed this pattern of fashion houses that rejected Zendaya in past interviews. Per the Hollywood Reporter, he recalled hearing that the young actress was “too green” and “not on our calendar.” He said plainly, “I still have the receipts.” That memory explains why the freeze has outlasted Zendaya’s rise to Vogue covers, Emmy wins, and a Met Gala co-chair title. Roach has made his rule clear: “if you say no, it’ll be a no forever.”

Has Zendaya Ever Worn Valentino, Gucci or Saint Laurent?

Technically, yes — but only in editorial photo shoots, never on a red carpet or press tour, with one narrow exception. Zendaya’s history with Valentino includes exactly one public moment. She wore the house once she signed a formal Valentino campaign contract. Roach describes that as the sole carve-out to an otherwise firm rule. Zendaya’s Saint Laurent, Dior, and Gucci looks still live only in magazine pages, not on step-and-repeats.

Variety reports that Roach confirmed Zendaya had “still never worn any of those designers” on a carpet, even by the time she landed her first American Vogue cover in 2017. That detail underscores just how long this particular grudge has held.

Six years and multiple award-show cycles later, the arrangement hasn’t budged, even as Roach softens his tone toward the fashion houses themselves. Runway’s Zendaya style archive tracks every major look from her career and offers deeper context on how her team built her red-carpet identity around independent and archival labels instead.

Whether this latest interview nudges any of the big five back toward the table remains to be seen, but the boycott holds for now. Runway will track Zendaya’s next red-carpet appearance for any sign that the freeze is cracking. For more on the industry relationships shaping today’s biggest looks, visit Runway Magazine’s designers coverage.

Runway Magazine Editorial Team
Runway Magazine Editorial Teamhttps://runwaylive.com
Freelance articles written by the editors of Runway Magazine. With over 200 years of combined experience covering luxury fashion, beauty, high-end lifestyle, and pop culture, our team delivers authoritative, insightful commentary on the trends shaping 2026. Every piece is crafted by seasoned fashion and lifestyle editors who prioritize depth, cultural context, and forward-looking analysis.

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