Meet Law Roach, the 'image architect' behind Zendaya, Celine Dion and more

You may not know his name, but you've likely seen his work. As a self-described "image architect," Law Roach is single-handedly responsible for styling Zendaya's daring looks, as well as Celine Dion and Lindsay Lohan's career comeback transformations, among countless other celebrity clients.

"An image architect takes something and transforms people's perception of that thing or person," Roach tells Q's Tom Power in an interview about his new book, How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence from the World's Only Image Architect.

"For so long, we had thought [Celine Dion] was so much older than what she was because she had been in our lives at that point for 30 years…. What I did was devise this blueprint, if you will, of the way we would go to show the world the Celine that I had got a chance to meet."

Though he's easily one of the most influential stylists in the world right now, Roach's rise in the world of fashion happened without any formal training or support from a famous mentor. What he did have was the sheer grit and instinct that came from growing up on the south side of Chicago with very little money.

"There's a lot of people who are very successful, but they come from the lineage and the legacy of someone else," he says. "I had to hustle, basically, to even feed myself growing up in Chicago at points in my life. Living that type of childhood instills a certain drive and a certain cleverness to be able to make it…. I just brought that all to Hollywood with me."

It was Roach's grandmother who introduced him to thrifting, or what she called "junking," in second-hand stores. Those early experiences inspired him to eventually open his own vintage boutique, Deliciously Vintage, in 2009.

"It helped me cultivate my style," Roach tells Power. "I made a business out of it and that business got me into moving to L.A. and styling and meeting Zendaya."

How he put Zendaya on the celebrity fashion map

Today, Zendaya is recognized as a fashion icon, but in 2011, she was a teenage Disney actor who was having trouble finding a designer to dress her for the premiere of Justin Bieber's documentary, Never Say Never. Her team approached Roach for help.

"What I figured out early on is [that] the girl who got the most press got the best dress," he says. "We were in a place where no one was lending us clothes at all, and so I needed a way to make people pay more attention to her."

Roach decided to take advantage of the "Who Wore It Best?" section in weekly magazines by turning a "fashion faux pas" (two celebrities wearing the same dress at or around the same time) into an opportunity for Zendaya to stand out.

"She was tall and gorgeous," Roach says. "I would put a sure bet that she would wear it better, and 97 per cent of the time she always won. People started to pay attention."

Why he's now retiring at the peak of his career

Last year, Roach shocked his fans when he announced that he would be retiring from celebrity styling. In a now-deleted Instagram post, 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!"

For years, Roach had worn overwork as a badge of honour, but he reached his breaking point after suffering a family tragedy that required him to take a step back. He also grew tired of feeling like he constantly had to fight for the respect of fashion industry gatekeepers.

"I felt like because of the way I looked and where I came from, that every single day I had to reprove myself and I was just tired of it," he says. "It was right off the heels of a conversation that I had with one of my clients and her publicist. And I found myself on the phone defending myself and my process, even though I had obviously changed the trajectory of this client."

After an outpouring of celebrity support, and a personal request from Zendaya, he decided to return to celebrity styling, but now, he's much more selective about the work he takes on.

"If anyone who's listening has ever experienced the feeling of going to bed hungry and crying because there wasn't enough food for you or your siblings, what that does to you as a child, it makes you almost feel like you have to say yes to every opportunity because that opportunity can be your last," he says. "I had to tell the little boy with the growling stomach that you don't have to work out of that place of fear anymore."

The full interview with Law Roach is available on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Law Roach produced by Vanessa Greco.