The Power-Stylist Has Become Fashion’s Latest Must Have

BusinessRetailThe Power-Stylist Has Become Fashion’s Latest Must HaveByKate Hardcastle,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. AKA The Customer Whisperer: advisor, broadcaster, Science of ShoppingFollow AuthorMay 26, 2026, 08:36am EDTThe modern celebrity stylist is no longer hidden behind the image; they are helping author it. Law Roach with Zendaya captures the shift perfectly, showing how a stylist can shape not only a look, but the longer fashion narrative around a star.Law Roach and Zendaya are seen here togetehr backstage (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of FameLaw Roach has helped turn Zendaya into one of the most compelling fashion narratives of the modern red carpet through “method dressing”, and Harry Lambert has supported Harry Styles with a coveted wardrobe brilliantly bending masculinity, nostalgia and pop stardom into one recognisable visual language. That shift is bigger than celebrity dressing. It speaks to a culture in which image now moves at enormous scale: the 2026 Met Gala generated 1.696 billion global video views and 108 million social engagements, numbers that make clear why the stylist now sits much closer to the centre of the frame.The stylist was no longer a name buried in credits or whispered about in fashion circles, but part of the narrative itself, shaping not just how a person looks at a particular moment, but how they identify as a living brand.Behind-the-scenes visibility has turned styling into part of the main event. Harry Lambert’s work sits inside that new culture, where wardrobes, process and visual storytelling travel far beyond the red carpet - something amplified again through the video-rich world around Harry Styles’ current tour. Harry Lambert seen here on the red carpet (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)WireImageA red carpet appearance, a television interview, an airport sighting, a campaign imag...