Jason Bolden and Law Roachtalk about inclusivity in fashion - TODAY

Bolden said that in the end, he believed the responsibility is on those in power to "change" the way the red carpet looks.

"You own the space, you empower the space," Bolden said. "The only people who can change the spaces are the people who own it and empower it. That is it. I can't do it."

Bolden also said that white stars are frequently praised for working with Black designers and stylists, while that attention doesn't go the other way.

"None of our allies are dealing with that," Bolden said. "They get to show up dressed in Black talent and say 'I did it, I'm here for the cause,' and they get to go back to their fantastic life, and get all the checks and all the jobs and are never questioned. But yet here we are, being questioned again."

On Instagram, Moore issued an apology for the article, writing that she had hoped to "bring up what (she) thought was a legitimate issue." Women's Wear Daily also issued an apology on their Instagram account.

"I did not mean to imply that it is only the responsibility of a Black stylist or a Black talent to support Black designers," she wrote. "It's the entire industry's responsibility to support diversity and inclusion."

Roach said that it's important to him that celebrities seek him out because they like his work, not just because they're looking to hire a Black stylist.

"For me to work with Anya (Taylor-Joy) was a joy," Roach said. "Anya called her publicist and said, 'Can you find out if Law will work with me? Because I love his work.' She didn't make that call because she was thinking, 'Oh, I want to be cool and work with a Black man.' She really, really, really just enjoyed my work. ... She was like 'I've been watching what you've done in your career, I really want to work with you, will you work with me?' And I was like, 'Absolutely.' ... That is the talent reaching out."

Roach said that it's important that publicists and other team members involved in an actor's appearance try Black stylists, noting that only a few publicists will "give (Black stylists) a chance" and think of them on a regular basis instead of just when they're looking for diversity.

"It goes back to this idea (that) we can't accomplish chic. We cannot accomplish smart, we cannot accomplish effortless," said Bolden, recalling an instance when a white publicist representing a Black actor visited his studio. "She basically looked around my studio and said, I don't think she realized she said it out loud, but she was, like, 'It's so clean in here.' And she started going through the racks, and she was, like, 'I have someone that I would love to introduce you to, but I think you only' — her exact words — 'I think you only know how to dress Black women.'"

"This is what we live in," Bolden continued. "... Every time we get a chance to do something, they only want to call us, they literally only want to call us about Black Lives Matter (or) diversity and inclusion. ... There's never times where people reach out to us and really just want to talk about the work, the art."

Bolden said that the result of such disconnect can feel like "styling in two different worlds," which Roach agreed only makes their work harder.

"I feel like ... I have to work 10 times harder," Roach said. "I have to be 10 times more savvy, creative. I have to. I have to. I can't make a mistake, right? ... It's the feeling, it's the emotion that we have to do it, I have to do it, 10 times better."

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and associate editor for TODAY.com, where she reports on health news, pop culture and more. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from New York University. Follow her on Twitter @KerryBreen826.

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