Award-Winning Style Architect and Stylist Law Roach Visits FIT in New York for His New Book, Giving Design Students Career Advice on Making It in the Fashion Industry

For over a decade, Law Roach has been the go-to man of fashion for his roster of  A-List celebrities Grammy-Winning Icon  Celine Dion, Actress Anya Taylor-Joy, Billionaire Kim Kardashian, Grammy-Winning rapper Megan The Stallion, and his most famous and longest-running client Emmy-Winning Actress Zendaya.

With his real signature bone-straight 60 inch waist long silk press hair, Roach has become a fashion icon in his own right. Since 2017, he has been recognized as TIME 100 magazine’s most influential people and the first African-American stylist to cover The Hollywood Reporter’s Stylist & Stars issue. He has won the most powerful stylist of the year by The Hollywood Reporter twice in 2021 and 2022 and received the 2022 CFDA Award for Stylist of The Year, presented by Actress Kerry Washington. He has appeared on Tyra Bank’s America’s Next Top Model for cycle 23 in 2016 and cycle 24 in 2017, RuPaul’s Drag Race from season 16 to season 18  and Project Runway season 21 panel in 2025.

Now, Roach can added the title of author to his resume of achievements with the release of his first book, How To Be A Style Icon. His new book is part biography and part self-help guide to help fashion lovers know the man who originally grew-up in the South side of Chicago and his journey and wisdom to his success in the fashion industry.

As part of his press tour to promote his new book, Roach visited New York’s fashion mecca F.I.T  on October 30^th, 2027 for the Future Forward Conversations Innovations Speakers Series in the Morris W.and Fannie B. Theater. The into was presented by the Constance White, the Senior Executive Director of the Justice Center at F.I.T, former Editor-in-Chief of Essence and Elle, and  journalist for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. The moderator of the event was F.I.T’s was new President and Dean Jason Schupbach.

“His work spans over 100 magazine covers” said White. “He has done campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Bvlagi. Tonight, the world’s only Style Architect that has been known for transforming  celebrities into fashion icons. He has built a career at the intersection of fashion, entertainment and culture working with global talent.”

Roach finally took the stage with an standing ovation from the F.I.T students and staff. As expected, Roach was dressed to perfection with a Dries Van Noten moss green suit, show stopping Christian Louboutin-Jayden Smith Collection boots, and glasses from Black-owned brand 12PM Studios.

Schupbach kick-off the panel first speaking to Roach on his childhood in Chicago. Schupbach.

Check out the event on Fashion Institute of Technology

asked “What was it like growing-up as Law Roach?”. Roach relied, “It was tough!”. Roach went on in detailed about his childhood and what was his first images of fashion and what shaped him as a person.

“It was tough, but I believe everything I went through is for a reason and helped shaped me to who I am today.” said Roach. “I am proud that I went through happen early on in my life and I came out with no scars and made me super tough!.” he said.

Roach reflects on how his obsession with fashion started as a young boy. “ It started in church.” said Roach. “It started with me being a little gay Black boy going to a Baptist church. My grandfather was a minister. And my grandmother was a first lady. This was how I learned the art form of being a women up close and personal. This means all the preparation for church on Sunday morning. My grandmother would choose her outfit, take a bath, roll her hair, and paint her nails. I realized there is a lot to being a women. This was a celebration of womanhood. I didn’t grow-up with Vogue, I grew-up with Ebony and Essence, because those are the women I saw in real life.” he said.

He went on his life before fashion when he had no mentors. “ I was a bartender before styling in 2014.” said Roach. “I moved to L.A. to figure it out. I would be at people’s office when they needed me and had to sleep on people’s couches and fake it until I make it” he said. “It’s all confidence!”

Schupbach next asked Roach on some tips for the current design students to project confidence. Roach responded, “ Your confidence has to come from a place of authenticity. You have to have that a power piece.” said Roach. “A power piece is that go to piece in your closet that makes you feel confident on those days you don’t’ feel confident. My power piece is a clean, crisp white shirt” said Roach. “It doesn’t matter how much it cost and where it came from, I know exactly how it makes me feel.” he said. “It makes me feel put together, clean,  stylish, and easy.”

The next topic discussed was how success can be double edge sword. Schupbach asked Roach is there a difference between success and happiness. Roach replied, “I don’t have believe on has to do with the other.” said Roach. “ My authenticity and the way I speak to my clients make them feel special and different. The verge of successful is always fun, but maintain the success is hard.” He said. “Happiness is a habit. Happiness is like eating well or exercising . You have to wake-up and choose to be happy and exercise that muscle.”

The next topic is what brought up on what topics should be taught at F.I.T. Roach responded “I believe financial literacy should be taught and invested their money and other real-world things.” he said.

“When I got my first stylist job in L.A. and I made $250,000 in my account. I didn’t pay any taxes for two years. One day when I went to get money for lunch my account was empty and the told me at the bank the IRS took the money.” said Roach. “ I think we need to learn the things our smartphone do and learn financial literacy, especially when you graduate and want to build a business.”

The next portion was the Q&A from the students at F.I.T. The first to take the stage was the F.I.T’s Student Body President, Fashion Business Management major,  Thea Koss. Koss spoke on Roach saying, “You have always made celebrity dressing into an iconic cultural moment.” said Koss. “ Do you ever feel pressure to always have an iconic moment with a client?”

“No” said Roach. “ I am going to tell you why. Because when I did the Vintage 1995 Mugler Robot  look for Zendaya for the Dune press tour in 2024, I walked away from that look thinking I will never top that look, but later I thought why do I need to compete with myself?” he said.

“At the end of the day I think about what makes her happy and she is my biggest priority. It’s not my moment to have, its there’s.’ he said. “

The panel ended with rapid questions with Schupbach asking “What’s three things are in your bag?” Roach responded “My passport, cash because I believe in tipping people and people who are making a living from the kindness of others because that was me for so long as a bartender, and some moisturizer, baby!”

Lastly, other  rapid answers Roach gave during the panel, “My best personal advice I received was to be still and be still in your thoughts and emotions during the creative process. A surprising thing people have learned about me is that I am a nice person and if I don’t scroll through Instagram in the morning there’s going to be a problem and it’s such a bad habit. I am happiness when I decide to be happy very single day and the thing about success that it can happen to anyone if you just believe.”