Stylist law roach announces retirement Leslie David Baker and the 2008 WGA Strikes

Micah Oliphant Staff Writer

Law Roach is one of the most revolutionary stylists in the industry to date. Styling big names such as Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, etc. Law Roach has made his mark on this industry, so much so that he has trademarked himself as an “Image Architect,” in an interview with Logo. So, it surprised the world when he announced via an Instagram post that he would be retiring. The post stated “My cup is empty…. Thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, im so grateful for you all. If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics, the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win…. I’m out.”

The sudden announcement came shortly after an incident at the 2023 Louis Vuitton Fashion Week show. Law Roach and Zendaya were caught in traffic on their way to the show, making them late. After arriving Zendaya quickly found her seat, however Law’s seat was nowhere to be found.

In a recent interview with New York Magazine, Law cleared rumors and clarified what actually happened. In summary, Law explained that he and Zendaya were frantically rushed to their seats by the LV staff. Law who usually sits next to Zendaya at shows, was not shown where he would be sitting by any of the staff.

In the video, Zendaya is pointing behind an empty seat. Social media speculated and assumed that she was motioning Law to sit behind her in the seat, claiming that she wasn’t doing enough to support Law. However, Law reassured in the interview that this was not the case and that Zendaya was simply motioning that the seat was assigned to her assistant, Darnell. Law was finally directed to a seat, still sitting front row, however he was not next to Zendaya. Law made sure that Zendaya was not to blame for this incident. So, who exactly is to blame?

People on social media speculated that Law had conflict with Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, or LVMH, the company that owns Louis Vuitton. He stated it was not true. LVMH is a high-quality goods company that owns over 75 distinguished designer houses, including Louis Vuitton, Dior and many more. These rumors surfaced after an altercation between Dior, a house under LVMH and Law.

Law had to “stand up for himself” against the designer house after working on a look for actress Anya Taylor-Joy. “I had collaborated with Dior on a couple of dresses for Anya and so when the looks came out, there was no credit to the Stylist.”

When custom looks are done for a celebrity, or anyone for that matter, a team is in collaboration for the curation of the look. That team consists of the model’s stylist. When the look was released to the public, Law's credit towards the creation was nonexistent. “Don’t erase me,” Law said to New York Magazine. “Don’t erase my contribution to this look, to this dress. Don't erase, all the phone calls, the emails, the text messages, and going back and forth, and me working to make sure that my client was happy.”

People speculated that when Law advocated for himself against Dior, LVMH perceived it as disrespectful. In retaliation, people on social media hypothesized that LVMH conspired the Louis Vuitton show incident, essentially getting back at Law. However, Law discredited this by stating that there is “no beef” with LVMH.

For the past two years, according to The Outlet, Zendaya has been the face of Valentino. Valentino often recognized the significance of Law’s position as Zendaya’s stylist, expressing their gratitude by having them sit next to each other in every show they attended. Law states in the interview that he has had the most incredible time working with Valentino. They have always recognized his contribution towards the looks he’s had a hand curating for Zendaya. It seems the same couldn’t be said about LVMH.

The incident that happened may have contributed to Law’s retirement, but it was not the sole reason. At the end of the day, Law Roach has been in the industry for over a decade, and that alone has its fair share of trials and tribulations. “As Black people in this country, it is embedded in us to suffer,” he states “and I have been suffering for years. I woke up and made that post because I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Me releasing that and letting the world know that I was done was the first time I felt like I took a deep breath. I don’t want to suffer no more.”

Isaac Davis Correspondent

On March 6, 2023, I saw Leslie David Baker during a TUFFTalks Q&A hosted by the University Activities Board. Today, many know him as crossword-connoisseur Stanley Dudson from “The Office” (2005-2013). But, Baker should also be recognized for his work during one of the deadliest times for the LGBTQ+ community.

Baker told us his life story before his acting career, vividly retelling how he became the man he is today. Soon after he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, Baker attended medical school where he quickly realized that was not where he wanted to be. Instead, he pursued an M.S. in Human Services Administration. Baker paid for grad school as a substitute teacher and picked up corporate jobs to supplement.

After grad school and during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, L.D. Baker worked for the Chicago Health Department. During his time, he witnessed problems in his department and reported them to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. "Stuff was said and done and all that. Long story short, they ended up wanting to fire me." Well within his rights as a worker, he filed a federal lawsuit. Baker continued, "They gave me some shut-up, go-away money so the [Chicago Health] department wouldn't be shut down."

Leslie David Baker's acting career began when he decided to move to Los Angeles, "I didn't move to L.A. until I was 40 years old. So anybody who is sitting here talking about, 'I don't know if I have time to do it,' you've got plenty of time. You'll be fine."

He appeared in several shows in the 1990s and early 2000s, notably “Maggie” (1998-1999) and “Malcolm in the Middle” (2000-2006). His breakthrough role was as Stanely Hudson from “The Office.” Later in the Q&A, he told us how he channeled all his corporate experiences to sculpt the ill-tempered sales representative Stanley we know today.

The last part of the Q&A was for audience questions. I got to ask Baker about his most chaotic day on the set of “The Office.” He took us back to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike of 2007-08. "We went to set one day, and we got there usually went to the catering truck right, and it was right before the writers' strike, and we didn't know what was going to happen. So, we got our food and went to our trailers, and we sat around for about an hour and a half waiting to find out if they were going to announce the writers' strike. And when they did, oh gosh, I feel like I was eating the last meal of my life."

The WGA has a long history of striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Before the 07-08 strike, there was a 153-day walkout in 1988 over residual income from reruns and an expansion of creative liberty. This strike lasted 100 days and cost the L.A. economy over 2.5 billion dollars. What made this strike especially impactful was that it started right as the infamous 2008 recession began.

While the strike brokered a deal between the WGA and the AMPTP, union members debated its effectiveness in addressing the structural problems regarding writer’s pay in Hollywood. The 07-08 strike occurred before the advent of streaming services. When Hulu launched a month after the strike ended, it was a big blow to the victories seen during the strike. Moreover, the WGA is rumored to strike again later this year if they cannot come to a new agreement with the AMPTP.

The 2008 contract between WGA and AMPTP will expire on May 1, 2023. While negotiations started on March 20, 2023 the two unions have yet to compromise. The new contract will renegotiate residual income from film and television reruns for streamed media, minimum wages and protect writers of shorter-run T.V. series. Nobody knows how the story will develop. But, with a recession on the horizon, conditions are right for a repeat of the 07-08 strike.

As Hollywood stockpiles film and TV scripts in preparation for a potential 2023 WGA strike, look out for how this strike may affect your favorite actors and streaming services. The 07-08 strike halted nearly all media production, including “The Office.” Despite this, we have nearly 5 million entertainment workers to thank for all the media we enjoy. Remember that writers are the backbone of the entertainment industry, and they deserve livable wages too.