The Zendaya letter I almost didn't write.
Part 1
There was a time when I, too, believed that Zendaya’s “collaborative” relationship with her stylist, Law Roach was on the same level as Rihanna and Mel Ottenberg and Jaheel Weaver, her current stylist. Her Met Gala look in 2017 and 2018 stood out, and I got carried away.
But I remember the day I turned on Law Roach. Someone had posted a photo set of some of Zendaya’s suiting, and I was uninspired and bored. My boredom sent me down a rabbit hole of searching every red carpet photo of Zendaya. I screamed at the shocking discovery that since Zendaya started randomly showing up to Hollywood events, Law Roach has styled her like the 48-year-old divorcee that she isn’t. I must repeat that celebrities' outfits do not have to be inspiring to be categorized as good. But since Zendaya still somehow has been collectively deemed a “fashion icon,” I have volunteered as tribute to offer a second opinion.
In an interview with Issa Rae for her company HOORAE Media, Zendaya discusses how, through fashion, she created a lane away from her Disney Channel past. She says, “I would show up to shit I had no business being at to get the look…” “I was called for years like a seat filler… and I was like yeah, but I look good though…” “so that became my thing.” The first time I watched this clip, I was impressed by Law Roach’s genius and how they together made her an A-list actress via fashion, but on subsequent watches, I wondered how “pulling a look” might have affected her ever getting close to wearing something that didn’t feel like a costume.
In my newsletters on personal style, I discuss how the focus on “pulling a look” hinders us from infusing our references, ergo, who we are, in what we wear. I think it’s interesting to see how the idea that one needs to be the shiniest and most attention-grabbing person affects how celebrities dress long-term. My point here is that if we were debating if Zendaya can pull a look, it would be a resounding “YES!” but that isn’t the question; the question is, is Zendaya a fashion icon? My simple answer is “no,” and let me explain!
These days, people throw around the term. But when I think of a fashion icon, I think about people whose fashions have impacted the zeitgeist. People like Grace Jones, Cher, Rihanna, and Chloe Sevigny come to mind because the impact of their fashions is evident in pop culture. These women have impacted generations of dressers, but I can’t say the same for Ms. Zendaya.
Fashion icons are not chameleons; they have a strong POV, a throughline, regardless of who dresses them. Zendaya is a chameleon; she can wear anything and look good in it, and I wonder what role Law Roach plays in this. To be a fashion icon, you must have your signature look, essence, or even item; I do not remember anything about Zendaya besides that her left leg comes first. It’s hard for me to remember what she’s worn on a red carpet; we remember she looked good, but it didn’t matter a week later. And her commitment to pulling a look is also evident in her choices for off-carpet looks. Whenever I’ve seen her in “off-duty” videos or photos, her clothes are unremarkable — a reality that wouldn’t even come to my attention (lots of people wear unremarkable clothes) if she weren’t lauded as a fashion icon.