When asked about relying on social media in the fashion industry, celebrity image architect Law Roach called it a double-edged sword.
The stylist and visionary behind Zendaya's wardrobe sat down with moderator Domo Wells and Kollin Carter at 2024 REVOLT WORLD for the “Future Of Fashion Fireside Conversation,” where he discussed his retirement and return, influences, upcoming book, and more. Roach acknowledged that although social media has helped his career, there are times when he feels it's "a piece of s**t."
"For stylists, social media became our portfolios years ago. To be honest, maybe 60 percent of my clients came from social media and interactions on social media. Also, it makes the world smaller, right? You can have a conversation with a designer in Mumbai or Japan in a split second. So, it's super beneficial,” the fashion icon noted.
Despite the perks of increased exposure and ease of communication, Roach mentioned that constantly seeing people's curated best selves often triggers comparison. "A lot of it is not real," he added.
"It's a double-edged sword because I came, in a way, before the influence. Like, I worked really hard, and then you see people get these amazing opportunities because they just consistently do the same thing over and over again. But you also want to be happy for them because that, too, is a job. So, for me, I'm torn with that," Roach explained.
Wells emphasized that while platforms like Instagram and TikTok are great tools, being mindful of what you post is crucial, as things can backfire and get taken out of context. Although it wasn’t mentioned, Roach may have suspected Wells was alluding to the backlash he faced after sharing a post with Naomi Campbell, which many believed was aimed at Rihanna.
On the night of the Alaïa fashion show (Sept. 6), videos circulated online that appeared to show the music icon ignoring Roach and Campbell as she greeted Edward Enninful and walked past them. At some point, Roach and Campbell filmed a playful take on the "demure" and "mindful" trend, wearing the same outfits they donned for the event. In the clip, Roach said, "We don't come with our tatas out or our chi-chis out. Very demure." The banter continued with Campbell adding, "Very mindful" and "It's not about showing yourself; it's about showing the clothes." Social media users quickly speculated that the duo was throwing shade at Ri.
After catching wind of the controversy, Roach responded on X with another video urging people to calm down. "Can y’all just stop making s**t up?" he captioned the post. Many were unforgiving, however, accusing him of trying to backtrack.
During the REVOLT WORLD panel, Wells noticed that Roach was caught off guard by her comments about the importance of discernment on social media. In response, she asked him about his reaction. Alluding to the RiRi mishap, he said, "I don't know because s**t just happened with me, and I feel like you're talking about it." The interviewer reassured him she wasn't referring to a specific incident, emphasizing that being misunderstood online is a shared experience. The fashion veteran agreed, stating, "Social media is a piece of s**t sometimes, but it is what it is."