LAW ON FASHION WEEK: The morning after Law Roach had styled his first runway for show for Bosideng, he was back on set working on a photo shoot. His agent Kent Belden was approached by the sporty company about lending his talents for its NYFW debut. “I was super-excited that they did. It was my first time styling at a New York Fashion Week show. It was exciting,” he said. “I’m actually really flattered and honored that this brand chose me. They could have easily used a stylist from Shanghai or somewhere else. The fact that they saw something in my work that made them want to collaborate with me was like, ‘Wow.’”
As stylist for such clients as Zendaya, Ariana Grande and Tiffany Haddish, Roach had not styled or cast a runway show before. Started in 1976, Bosideng specializes in down outerwear with distribution in more than 72 countries. His inaugural effort for the brand was a learning experience, partially due to the fact he doesn’t speak Mandarin and most of the people he worked with didn’t speak English. “It was challenging but also amazing how the language of fashion is so universal — so many of the things that we were doing, we just understood each other,” he said.
He approached the project with a little bit of fear, wondering how he would express himself with the language barrier. Knowing how things can get lost in translation sometimes even with a translator, he said he did not experience that at all. Roach and the designer had an instant chemistry and were always in synch about the styling, the casting, the hair and makeup. “It was so weird, because it was like we were the same person,” he said.
Collaborating with the brand and the designer, Roach said he wanted to make sure he was very respectful of how the designer wanted to present the collection. “I was there more to aid and assist, and to give my opinions,” he said. “I really wanted it to be about her clothes and where she came from.”
To that end, the “sweaty” hair and “dewy” makeup was inspired by Bosideng’s home city of Shanghai. “We all know it gets hot, steamy and humid in Shanghai. This is my interpretation of what athletic people would look like after a run, exercising or whatever they were doing outside.”
Aside from being more time-consuming in terms of the number of days that are needed to prep for a show versus a photo shoot, the stylist said the physicality was more demanding. Law said he would love to do more shows every season. In terms of his take on the most recent round of shows, Roach said, “As a stylist, especially because I have so many clients, I’m always super-excited about fashion week because it kind of gives us a whole new deck of cards. There are only so many dresses and there are so many girls so I’m always searching. Now, when the new collections come we have this breath and say, ‘OK, there are more clothes. The world is not going to stop.’”
A self-described “fan of fashion,” especially all the New York designers and the emerging ones, Roach said he loves to see the talent. The “post-apocalyptic prehistoric staging with a big dinosaur” at Coach was a standout moment for him. On top of that, he likes to show up for such friends as Christian Siriano, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung and Brandon Maxwell “to congratulate them, hug them and send my requests. It’s always exciting.”
Although Law has been approached about film projects, his numerous clients makes it difficult for him to be in one place for a long period of time. “But I think sooner or later I will probably go into costume design.”