Law Roach Is Redefining Retirement

Law Roach is truly the master of reinvention. His 10-plus years as a celebrity stylist have been so prolific (as has his clientele) that he’s rebranded the job, trademarking the term “image architect.” The title is more than apropos considering Roach has been responsible for some of the most impactful style muses of the 21st century: Zendaya, Celine Dion, Hunter Schafer, Bella Hadid, Megan Thee Stallion. Even Lindsay Lohan’s triumphant return to Hollywood included a movie-montage-caliber glow-up courtesy of Roach.

It seems the Chicago-born fashion innovator is up to his old tricks, now reimagining the concept of retirement. We all remember where we were when Roach announced he was stepping back from styling at the top of 2023. Mouths across the world were agape and in awe, as he was seemingly at the pinnacle of success, professionally speaking. In a 2023 interview with People, Roach explained his decision, stating, “I figured out that I didn't know how to be happy. I didn't know how to be healthy. I didn't know how to be whole. So when I figured all that, I said, ‘You know what? It's time to go. It's not serving me anymore.’”

To be clear, the exit didn’t mean he was out of the game completely. In fact, fans were relieved to see Roach continuing his creative relationships with longtime clients and friends like Zendaya and Dion. But, make no mistake, he pumped the brakes on his light-speed styling journey, pivoting to other endeavors and passion projects that served him — and the fashion community — better... including a book. Yes, on Oct. 1, Roach’s new groundbreaking guide How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence from the World’s Only Image Architect hits shelves.

On a recent phone call with TZR, Roach explained that writing this book, which takes readers behind the scenes of his unique styling process and offers tips on how to live one’s most authentically stylish life, allowed him to flex a new muscle. “When I retired, I felt like I needed to do something creative,” he says. “[The book] ended up turning into something more therapeutic for me, just getting out thoughts. It also gave me time to reflect over this decade-long career that I've been so fortunate to have.”

Like a classic domino effect, it also led to yet another initiative for the greater good: an online education program appropriately named School of Style. With courses being announced in early October, this new platform — like his new book — aims to equip aspiring stylists and fashion aficionados with the tools and knowledge that Law wishes he had when he was just starting out.

“I know there are so many people who dream of having a career like mine that are so far away from the industry that it seems almost impossible,” he says. “This platform will not only give them collegiate-level education about being a stylist, financial education about taxes and what type of corporation you should be, loan out agreements, and all the things that I never learned until it was too late. [...] I think that I could leave a strong mark on the world and this industry beyond just putting beautiful women in beautiful clothes.”

Ahead, Roach expands on his new book, style school, and life after retirement.

Why did you choose more of a self-help angle than a traditional memoir?

I just thought it could be more beneficial to the reader. I've been told by a bunch of my clients that working with me helped them to gain more confidence and take more risks with clothes. I thought, if I can inject that same type of confidence into the reader, it would just help. [It made for an] easier read and a lighter lift for me to do that, and I just feel like I can instantly see the help that it hopefully gives people.

What are you hoping people will take away from it?

The entire book is about confidence and using fashion and clothing to help build that and to sustain it. There are no fashion tips on how to look your best at this age or at this shape, it's nothing like that at all. It's anecdotes, from my experiences with my clients, some early life lessons that I was given, and all the things that helped me go from this little boy from Chicago who wasn't in the fashion industry technically to become a world-renowned stylist and image architect. And for me, the through line and the genesis of all of that is just confidence.

What do you think people will learn about you that maybe they didn’t know before?

[I think the book will] make me more tangible, which is what I want. Being thrust into this world of celebrity and acquiring this sort of fame of my own, I felt it took me far away from where I'm from and who I am. I wanted to use the book to lessen that gap between me and the people who supported me over time, who was entertained by my work, who left great comments and sent nice notes. I just want to shorten that gap and put me closer to the people who've supported me.

Did you learn anything about yourself in the process of writing this book?

I did. I really did. I think, again, when I retired, I retired for a number of reasons. But I realized that I really didn't know too much about myself and writing the book helped me relearn who I am and reestablish my values — even why I chose to be a stylist in the first place. It also helped me gain this state of joy and happiness that I'm currently in. I learned that happiness is a habit that we have to continually work on. I hope that everything I gained from [writing] is passed on to the reader.

How has retirement been? How has it impacted your mental health?

It gave me power. [Before] I felt obligated to say yes to every opportunity that was presented to me during the time I was working, and now I have this sense of power where I feel like I'm making better choices. It's giving me a greater sense of discernment, to do things that fulfill me.

It's been amazing for my mental health because I can work when I want to work with who I want to work with. And I'll just say this, my yeses and my nos have become way more powerful. I get to say no to so many things and not feel guilty about it or feel like I had an obligation to say yes. And so I say yes to things I think are important or I think that could be fun or to people that I admire. I've been doing work with Naomi Campbell, which is inspiring to me. There will always be my work with Zendaya and I get to pick and choose in a way that I've never had before.

Speaking of Zendaya, you dedicate your book to her. How has that relationship impacted your life on a professional and personal level?

I mean, personally, we've been together so long, we grew up together. She's my little sister at this point, my confidant, sometimes she's my therapist, and she's all these different things personally and professionally. I don't think there would be a Law Roach as you know him had it not been for our partnership. So that relationship is a lot, it's almost everything to me.

Who were your style icons growing up? Was there anyone who played a pivotal role in your fashion career path?

I think my earliest style icons were my grandmothers, my grandma Eloise, who I write about a lot in the book, and the Black women at church on Sunday mornings. And then it became people like Cher and Grace Jones. Essentially, Zendaya is my ultimate style icon.

You’ve trademarked the title “image architect.” When you take on a new client, what are some ways you tap into their true selves to better bring out their personal style? I’d love to know your method.

The reason I created that term was because when I did a lot of reflecting on what I thought I was bringing [to the table] and the value that I was bringing to clients in new relationships, is that it seems so familiar and reminiscent of what an architect does. Going out and inspecting the land and bringing in the different contractors to do the different work. For me, that was like the hair, makeup, accessories, and clothes. We examine every single thing that a client had worn previous to [working with] us and try to do a lot of surveying of what made them feel good and what made them feel not so good. We take all that information and build a comprehensive blueprint just like an architect would to help them become who they want to be in regards to their personal style.

Is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet with which you’d like to collaborate?

No, not as far as being a stylist, no. I'm not really interested in that. Now, if the universe puts me in someone's life for a reason, I'll accept that, but I'm not actively looking for clients right now.

What are your thoughts on the ever-changing trend cycle that’s essentially making trends obsolete? Do you think it’s making way for more unique personal style or changing fashion in a negative way?

I love it. I love that people are moving into becoming more individualistic. I think it does wonders for everything. I think it makes the landscape more interesting than years before where everything was so cookie-cutter and people would show up at award shows and there'd be six girls in the same color dress because that was the color of the season. I think the young people, this new generation, can be credited for this [as they’re focused on] being themselves and being more authentic. So I actually enjoy that a lot.

What’s your advice to somebody just starting out in the fashion styling world?

Well, they could start at School of Style. I'm really standing behind it. And the thing about that is it's different from other online educational platforms because we will have a direct channel to employment and internships. So it's part education platform, part employment agency, so it's really, really going to work.