"If you say no, it’ll be a no forever."
There’s no denying that Zendaya is one of the biggest (if not, the biggest) style icons of our generation. From her fearless fashion on the red carpet (hello, Mugler robot suit) to the fact that she’s youngest person to ever win the CFDA’s Fashion Icon Award, the actress knows how to dress. But apparently, not everyone saw the rising star’s potential.
In a new interview with The Cutting Room Floor, Zendaya’s longtime stylist Law Roach revealed that certain fashion brands refused to work with her when she was first starting out. “I would write the big five. I would write Saint Laurent, Chanel, Gucci, Valentino, Dior, and they would all say, ‘No, try again next year. She’s too green,’” Roach said, adding that he still has “all the receipts.”
And now that the Challengers star has her pick of the fashion crop, she still refuses to represent those designers in particular on the red carpet. Clarifying that she's worn looks from the "big five" in an editorial setting, Roach continued, "But on a red carpet, she still has never worn Dior on a carpet. She still has never worn Chanel on a carpet. She has still never worn Gucci on a carpet. Any press, any appearance, never."
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He added, “The first time she wore Valentino in public is when she had a contract. So when I said, ‘If you say no, it’ll be a no forever,’ that rang true for a long, long time.”
While those brands are eating their words now, Zendaya continues to eat up the red carpet in a nonstop parade of stylish looks. Her latest fashion tour de force? The 2024 Met Gala, where she stunned in not one, not two, but three gowns at the event—including a peacock blue-and-green striped dress from Maison Margiela Couture that came with a matching feathered headpiece and shimmering bustier.
