For any of us – and this is everyone, right? – whose entire personality is dedicated to looks created by Zendaya and Law Roach, this is a blessing: they allowed Vogue to document them getting ready for Zendaya’s appearance at the Australian premiere of Challengers. It is an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of the process.
Only five minutes, and it’s not enough, not at all. For one, I’d love to see more of that rack of clothes and what options she had before choosing that custom Loewe which, let’s be honest, was probably already decided on before they started rolling on this video. But still, they do give us some insight here, and also confirmation. And also some swagger – because at one point, Law says to Z, as he reflects on the fact that they’ve been working together for 13 years:
“We don’t miss. We like Jordan and Pippen, baby.”
He’s not wrong.
Zendaya and Law obviously have great chemistry, a short-hand, and trust. Trust is the key – there is no one she trusts more than him to get it, get exactly what she needs, maybe even before she needs it. And that’s one thing that people don’t appreciate enough about fashion stylists, and makeup artists, and hair artists. Yes, they’re great at putting together pants and jackets and applying eyeliner and giving you a snatched pony, but they have to read you, intimately, to know what it is that will make you feel confident to go out there and do your job. And that’s part of their job, maybe the most critical part of their job.
Together, Zendaya and Law imagined their careers – and achieved those goals in a radical way: through clothing, through outfits, looks that no one else could have ever created. They assigned value to expression through style, and their commitment to that strategy elevated both of them in their respective fields.
So what we’re getting in this video is a peek into their process and it validates everything we have been saying and have assumed about their approach to each and every appearance: these outfits carry a message, they convey meaning, they have purpose. And for Zendaya, right now, the looks that we have seen already, and will see as the Challengers press tour progresses, are meant to highlight not just her character but how playing this character is a new step forward for Zendaya herself in her career.
This is why she went blonde – she intentionally wanted to separate Tashi (her character in Challengers) from Chani (her character in Dune: Part 2). And, also, she wanted to make it clear that Challengers is her film, the film in which she will make her claim as Leading Lady, a proper Movie Star…
And eventually director?
Denis Villeneuve was on the Director’s Cut podcast with Steven Spielberg in an episode that aired last week.
Steven asked this:
“Were there any actors on your film that you think will be directors? That were kind of like, over your shoulder, wanting to see the lens, really curious about how you were styling your shots?”
And of all the actors Denis has worked with, this was his response:
“The truth … there’s someone that spent a lot of time behind the camera listening, Zendaya. She’s so clever, but shows she’s brilliant and her strong presence, and she was always on set even when she was not shooting. Just sitting between [cinematographer] Greg [Fraser] and I listening, listening and listening. So I would not be surprised that one day we learn that she wants to go behind [the camera].”
Consider the impact that Zendaya has already made in the business, with her celebrity. And still, we’re only just seeing the surface of that potential. She’s only just 27. Think of the work – and the looks that will support that work – that we’ll be getting in the years to come.