Black History Month: Stylists Who Inspire

Black History Month is officially underway, and we wanted to kick off this important month by highlighting two (of the many) black stylists who are paving the way and inspiring change in the fashion industry.

Law Roach

Gregg DeGuire / WWD / Getty Images

Arguably, one of the world’s most well-known image consultants, Law Roach, is one of the few people who have advanced their career after “retirement.” Law’s success has been so global that he was able to limit his clientele to only a few A-list celebrities. His work with Zendya for the Dune 2 and Challengers press tour exploded on social last spring.

Emma McIntyre / Getty Images

Law got his start in fashion with the opening of a vintage store in Chicago and Harlem after graduating with a psychology degree from Chicago State University. Kayne West visiting Law’s store was the start of his career in celebrity styling. His styling career flourished when he put Zendya on the map because of her modern and relevant street style. He was (and still is) instrumental in redefining Celine Dion’s personal style. During his time, he’s had many well-known celebrities hire him, such as Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Chance the Rapper, and so many more. Law was a judge for two seasons on America’s Next Top Model. He was the first African American to be featured on The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful Stylist in 2017. He landed the spot of The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful Stylist in 2021 and 2022. At the 2022 Counsel of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards, Law was awarded the Inaugural Stylist Award. This followed Zendya’s own Fashion Icon Award in 2021. In 2021, he dressed ten celebrities for the Met Gala. These are just a few of his many accomplishments in the fashion industry. In 2024, he published his own book, “How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence”.

His vocal efforts to change the fashion industry make Law Roach so inspiring. He challenges racial and class biases in an effort to ensure that fashion opportunities are available to all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Aliah Anderson / Getty Images

Zerina Akers

Kayla James for La Times

Born in Maryland, this stylist and costume designer rose to fame when she started styling Beyonce. Zerina’s love for fashion started when her grandmother taught her how to use a sewing machine. Her passion grew when she started designing and reconstructing her classmate’s clothing in high school. While studying marketing in college, she landed an internship at W Magazine and then with Stella McCartney. She then began freelancing for W Magazine and Women’s Wear Daily.

Zerina assisted Bea Kerlund on a shoot with Beyonce. This led to her becoming Beyonce’s personal stylist, where she curated her wardrobe and did the costume design for some of Beyonce’s most popular music videos. Remember the black wide-brim hat in Beyonce’s Formation music video? That was Zerina.

The Cut / Beyonce/YouTube

Besides Beyonce, Zerina has styled other big names like Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe and Halle, Ava DuVernay, and Yara Shahidi. One of her most recognized accomplishments was her winning an Emmy for Outstanding Costume For Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming in 2021 for Beyonce’s film Black is King. She also started a social club and showroom in LA called St. Helens House. Inside this social sanctuary is a showroom curated by Zerina featuring luxury fashion that is available for rent to creatives, fashion lovers, and celebrities.

Along with creating St.Helens House, she also created Black Owned Everything, an e-commerce store created with the mission “to elevate the visibility of black-owned brands.” Zerina is vocal about her mission to ensure that supporting black creators isn’t just a moment in time but a forever movement.

Tyler Adams / CFDA

We are inspired by many other black creatives in the fashion industry: Jason Bolden, Kollin Carter, June Ambrose, and so many others. To read more about other incredible black stylists, visit our latest Instagram post!

Resources:

Law Roach

businessoffashion.com/people/law-roach/

businessoffashion.com/podcasts/luxury/the-bof-podcast-law-roach-on-keeping-busy-after-retirement/

vanityfair.com/style/photos/zendaya-dune-2-fashion

cnn.com/2024/04/11/style/zendaya-challengers-tennis-press-tour-fashion

fashionista.com/2017/05/law-roach-stylist-interview

marieclaire.com/fashion/celine-dion-law-roach-grammys/

hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/hollywood-most-powerful-stylists

cfda.com/news/law-roach-receives-stylist-award

vogue.com/slideshow/images-of-the-week-zendaya-takes-home-the-cfdas-fashion-icon-award

essence.com/fashion/law-roach-met-gala-2021/