How Zendaya’s 2 Met Gala looks came together, according to stylist Law Roach

The Met Gala is known for its unpredictable moments, and Zendaya delivered one of this year's major surprises. For her first Met Gala since 2019, she walked the carpet in not one, but two elaborate looks.

First, she appeared in a cascading navy and forest green number, paired with fierce maroon eyes. Then, she emerged in a dramatic (really dramatic) black dress, topped with a hat with flowers.

The 2024 Met Gala caps off Zendaya's recent fashion whirlwind, with look after look for the "Dune" and "Challengers" press tours. Zendaya was a celebrity co-chair for the event, along with Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny.

Speaking to TODAY.com after his appearance on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna, her stylist and "fashion soulmate" of 13 years Law Roach explains the story and intention behind the outfits.

“We call each other ‘Big Ideas’ and ‘Small Details.’ I’m the big ideas. I dream in grandeur. These huge, not realistic dreams. Her thing is the small details. I may have said, ‘Let’s have five looks.’ And she’s like, ‘I think two is enough.’ She’s the grounding force in this relationship,” he says.

Roach says the two looks were meant to tell the "story of the artistry of John Galliano."

“For me, growing up, that’s what I thought fashion was: John Galliano at Dior. It was a world I was captivated by but I didn’t think I could live in, breathe in, have space in. Last night was a celebration of the world that has inspired me for so long," he says.

Galliano has been the creative director of Maison Margiela since 2014. He was fired from Dior in 2011 following a 15-year tenure after he was caught on video making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe. He was later convicted on two charges of public insults for reasons of religion, race or ethnicity, the New York Times reported.

Galliano testified, at his trial, he remembered nothing and blamed the comments on substances. In a 2024 documentary, he said, “It was a disgusting thing, foul thing that I did. It was just horrific.”

In addition to Zendaya's two garments, Galliano also dressed Bad Bunny, Kim Kardashian, Gwendoline Christie and Natasha Poonwalla at the 2024 Met Gala.

Roach says Zendaya's looks were meant to illustrate two phases of Galliano's career, "present and past."

Zendaya's first look was a custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano piece, which paid homage to the "Garden of Time" dress code with leaf and fruit adornments. Her second was a Galliano design made while he was at Givenchy in the mid-90s.

Roach says the dramatic second appearance was only possible thanks to Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, who co-chairs the Met Gala annually, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"They were very accommodating of this crazy request," he said. Zendaya and her team used a space within the actual museum to get ready for the first time, and then the second.

On TODAY with Hoda and Jenna, Roach spoke to the magic behind his partnership with Zendaya, which began when she was a 14-year-old Disney star.

"We made a pinky swear that I would do everything to help her grow and as she grew she would bring me along with her. She kept her promise. Our loyalty is not something seen much in this industry," he said.

Elaborating to TODAY.com, he says, “She’s my annoying little sister sometimes. I’m probably her annoying little brother sometimes. It’s so authentic that it just works."

For Roach, the Met Gala was also a showcase of his new approach. He announced he was retiring from personal styling in 2023. For seven months, he stepped away from work.

"I was coming from a place of being grateful to being in the business. If someone would DM me or call me asking me to work with them, I would say yes because I was so flattered that people chose me. When I say yes to so many people, you start saying no to yourself," he says.

Roach says what followed was "kind of bad," calling it an "emotional rollercoaster."

"It was a scary thing to do. I went through all the stages of grief. Feeling like I let people down. Now they're going to think I'm a quitter. How can I be a quitter when so many people look up to me? Then the sadness and depression and figuring out that most of who I was was my job," he says.

When he "came out of it," though, he found his life was transformed. "It was beautiful. I felt finally free to be my own self. Once I got through the grieving process ... I've been happy every single day," he says.

He has since returned to work with Zendaya and key others, like Mona Patel for this recent Met Gala. He also dressed Celine Dion for her Grammys appearance earlier this year, her first major public appearance since announcing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.

"Now I have a lot of power. I have the freedom to say no now," he says.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com