How Zendaya Used Fashion To Break Her Disney Star Image

Before Zendaya became the versatile and highly-publicized actor she is today, she got her start on the Disney Channel. She played Rocky, one of the lead roles on Shake It Up. Countless are the examples of child stars that have launched — and maintained — successful careers. Think Ryan Gosling, who starred in Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club, or Selena Gomez, who was featured on the TV series Barney & Friends.

The transition from a child star to a well-respected actor is not always seamless. Law Roach, the celebrity stylist who has been working with Zendaya since she was 14 years old, shared that being taken seriously was a concern for the actor’s career. 

“Nobody wanted to touch either one of us,” the celebrity stylist told The Cut about their early days in the industry. “Nobody wanted to lend me clothes. Nobody wanted to dress her ’cause, at that time, Disney girls wasn’t considered real actresses.”

Roach added that the duo swore they would each do their part to help elevate the other. Zendaya started making red-carpet appearances beyond the projects she was promoting. This had the effect of solidifying her presence in the film industry but also put the spotlight on her outfits. Roach started styling her in clothing other celebrities had worn beforehand, which drew significant media coverage.

“I would only put her in clothes that other people had worn because I knew at that time, [magazine features on] people who had worn all the weekly styles were really popular,” the stylist told The Zoe Report. “So, I would only put her in things that people had worn so that the designers would start to notice her and notice her name, and it actually worked out.”

Zendaya has referred to Roach as her “creative director” in the past, noting that her red carpet-looks go beyond fashion.

“I spent a lot of time to build this blueprint for how I thought I could garner her acceptance in fashion,” Roach said in the same interview with The Zoe Report.

Zendaya experimented with different styles, materials, cultural references and archival pieces. She pushed the envelope on the carpet through clothing but also beauty. Zendaya sported a variety of Black hairstyles at industry events, drawing both derogatory comments and support. Her versatility led the public to start expecting her appearance at events and solidified her status as a fashion-forward actor.

Roach and Zendaya also perfected the art of method dressing, an instance in which an actor will wear an outfit that makes a direct reference to the project they are promoting. This has been particularly apparent during her press tour for Challengers, although she started method dressing in 2017, when she starred in The Greatest Showman. Zendaya wore spider-themed looks ahead of the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home and sported futuristic-inspired clothing during the press tour for Dune. 

Her association with fashion culminated in 2021, when she became the youngest person to receive the CFDA’s Fashion Icon Award. Zendaya asserted her influence over the years through her various features in magazines and at events such as the Met Gala. This year, she will co-chair the event — only further cementing her status as a fashion symbol and an A-list actor.

Here are some of Zendaya’s most memorable looks over the years.