Critics and audiences may have loved Zendaya’s performance in Dune Part Two. However, we can’t ignore the style choices she and stylist Law Roach came up with to further promote the sci-fi flick. After finding out all of the intense issues that went on when Zendaya wore a viral cyborg-looking suit at the Dune 2 red carpet premiere, it’s amazing how well everything ultimately worked out.
Zendaya was already impressing us with her fashionista self every time she channeled Tina Turner doing Dune Part Two press. But when the former Disney Channel star walked the walk on the anticipated sequel’s red carpet looking like C-3PO, heads turned and it was like we time-traveled into the future of fashion:
The Spider-Man actress’s longtime stylist Law Roach really outdid himself this time, bringing method dressing to a whole other level on the red carpet. Even Zendaya’s boyfriend Tom Holland sweetly let her have the floor at the event. The archival cyborg suit from Thierry Mugler’s fall/winter 1995 couture collection consisted of metallic armor with silver panels and sheer transparent plastic inserts. This futuristic-looking suit was the perfect ensemble to remind audiences they were about to enter another world when watching Dune 2.
However, the Thierry Mugler robot look wasn’t without painstaking challenges. According to the 2024 movie release of the documentary Inside the Dream: Mugler, the metallic suit was only made for one model decades ago. Fashion Creative Director Casey Cadwallader explained exactly what could go wrong with having a different model fit into the same suit again years later:
If the kneecap’s in the wrong place, it’s over. If the hips don’t fit, it’s over. If the crotch doesn’t reach her crotch, she won’t be able to walk. If her torso’s too long, then you won’t be able to connect the lower back of the robot to the upper butt of the robot, where there’s the key two screws. If the elbow’s not in the right position, she won’t be able to move her arms etcetera, etcetera.
Wow, that sounds like a lot of stress for a red carpet photo shoot. It proves that even though the look is supposed to make you look like a robot, I can imagine Zendaya FEELING like one if the suit inhibits her movements.
Considering Zendaya’s robot look was actually made of metallic pieces, it wasn’t the type of suit you could easily just slip into. Casey Cadwallader continued to talk about the real-life obstacles the fashion team faced prepping the Euphoria star for her big red carpet moment and the mishap that occurred when she was there:
You didn’t get the really good part, which is Zendaya, Law [Roach] and me in London, driving across the city, as we put on the robot in the dark in the back of a van, trying to not drop the screws. Because we have to have her on the red carpet in four minutes. I was like, ‘What the fuck is going on right now?’ … So then I’m on a dune, chasing Zendaya, because I’m seeing her ankle thing is about to fall off. I had to go fix her foot while she’s in the middle of a interview with a million cameras, because again, we put it on in the back of a van. [Laughs] I’m not gonna forget that moment.
I would be afraid to move if I were in Zendaya’s position wearing an outfit that can easily come apart with one misstep. Fortunately, the Emmy winner slayed wearing Thierry Mugler’s metallic suit for the Dune 2 premiere. Law Roach was clearly a positive influence on his longtime client, saying his goal with her fashion is to build confidence with each style ensemble. Considering Zendaya looked fierce on the red carpet despite wearing a challenging suit, I’d say mission accomplished.
After learning about all of the intense issues that could have gone wrong with Zendaya’s cyborg-looking suit, it’s proof that it takes the strength of a design team and the Dune 2 actress’s professionalism to pull off the red carpet look. Fashion events may bring a lot of anxiety if there’s a chance a complex outfit could fall apart, but its efforts are well worth it when a fashion piece becomes the highlight of the event. You can watch Inside the Dream: Mugler on your Amazon Prime subscription as well as Dune 2 on your Max subscription.