Bal Harbour

For the last decade, Image A rch itect Law Roach and acclai med starlet Zendaya have been among fash ion's most sought-af ter duos. These t y pes of relat ionsh ips—A laïa and Naom i Campbel l, Pat Cleveland and Stephen Burrows, Misa Hylton and Li l' K i m—shaped the i ndust ry's landscape i n thei r respect ive t i mes, addi ng romant ic f lares to each era. Roach and Zendaya sit com fortably i n th is l i neage, work i ng together to create marvelous i mages that celebrate Black creat ive i ngenuit y and h istory, and f igurat ively com mun icate the various l i fe chapters they t ransit ion w ith i n f rom one to another. Peek i ng underneath thei r seam less, col laborat ive relat ionsh ip, I got a chance to speak w ith Roach and ref lect as we celebrate h is 10-year an n iversary work i ng w ith one of f i l m and fash ion's most i nt rigui ng f igures. Darnell-Jamal Lisby: Looking over your journey with Zendaya, how has she inspired your creative process? Law Roach: She's my muse. We have so many dynamics that make up our relationship—employer and employee, for example—but there is also a big brother and little sister relationship because we grew up with each other; we've seen each other's successes over the last decade. Then there's this fantastical idea that I have of her as my fashion muse. When I'm watching shows, doing research or scrolling through inspiration, shes always the first one thin about before any other client. I say, "That's a Zendaya dress," or "That's a Zendaya look." She always sparks inspiration for me. DL: Are there facets of her artistry or her work process that you have been privy to that have informed how you treat a project? LR: What's so interesting about Zendaya is her decision-making abilities and what she says no to. "No" is just as important as "yes." I admire how grounded she is and always has been. She has such an old soul. ven when she was fifteen years old, she was able to make essential and grown-up decisions. That has always been inspiring. DL: Being a fashion historian, research around someone's process is essential for me, even more so than the results. For Zendaya's recent Elle cover, the juxtaposition of haute couture and Nike sneakers seamlessly takes us into a new dimension where fashion, and how it is presented, is not linear. Using that as a counterpoint, what is the flow of creating these types of imagery, and how does the narrative take shape? LR: There are two parts to my process. There's research and drawing from things. I'll see a girl at the airport and take a mental picture of that. I draw heavily from experiences; I'm a people watcher. I'm also an Instagram stalker. I'm also a dreamer. I've done a lot of things that have come to me ZEN DAYA, W HO RECENTLY BECA M E TH E FIRST "FACE" OF VA LENTINO, H A S A LONGTIM E CH A M PION IN L AW ROACH, TH E IM AGE A RCH ITECT RESPONSIBLE FOR H ER GREATEST FA SH ION MOM ENTS OV ER TH E L A ST TEN Y EA RS. BY DA RN ELL - JA M A L LISBY The ARTIST & His MUSE 118 BAL HARBOUR

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