What the Hell Happened: ‘Retired.’ Law Roach is Done with ‘the politics, the lies and false narratives’

At seemingly the peak of his career, Lawrence “Law” Roach announced his sudden retirement from celebrity styling, leaving fans and clients stunned. Roach is one of the most renowned stylists in Hollywood and a trailblazer in the fashion industry, having styled some of the most iconic looks on the biggest names in entertainment, including Zendaya, Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, Bella Hadid, and Anna Taylor-Joy.

Roach’s rise to fame has been impressive, having started his career as a vintage clothing dealer in Chicago and entering the world of celebrity styling in the early 2010s. Always challenging conventional beauty standards and gender norms, he is known for bold and innovative styles that blend high fashion with aspects of streetwear and vintage looks.

Over the years, Roach has also used his platform to speak about his experiences as a Black stylist in a predominantly white industry and promote designers of color given his position as a passionate advocate for diversity within the fashion industry.

In recent years, Roach has appeared as a judge for America’s Next Top Model and won the first ever CFDA stylist award.

With all of this under his belt, Roach shocked fans with a since-deleted Instagram post announcing his retirement from celebrity styling — just two days after styling Hunter Schafer, Kerry Washington, Hailee Steinfeld, Eve Jobs, and Megan Thee Stallion for the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty.

“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! You win…I’m out,” read the caption of the Instagram post.

In an interview with The Cut following the announcement, Roach confirmed his retirement and explained his reason for the sudden move. He shared that the pressure and drama within his career had taken too much of a toll on his happiness.

“The culmination of everything that’s been happening in my career for these last few days kind of just pushed me over the edge,” he said, referring to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

During the interview, Roach alluded to a call with a client he dressed for the Vanity Fair Oscar party as the last straw that led to his retirement from celebrity styling. Fans were left to speculate which of his many celebrity clients that night could have been the final straw.

Roach’s decision has set him free to focus on himself and his other endeavors. Though he has stepped back from celebrity styling, he remains a powerful force in the fashion industry.

During his interview with The Cut, he asked, “Isn’t it always best to leave when you’re on the top?”