Black Shoe Collector Behind Zendaya’s Rare 2012 Heels

This summer, Zendaya and Law Roach have been delivering look after look as the actor promoted “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” As expected, Law has been hunting down rare and singular pieces to style his fashion muse in. One standout featured an iconic pair of gladiator heels by luxury designer Sophia Webster. Now Webster is sharing the behind-the-scenes story of how those shoes ended up on Zendaya’s feet, and the role a Black shoe collector from Maryland played in making it happen.

In a recent TikTok video, Webster explained that she received an email from Law’s team requesting the Clementine Heel, a shoe worn by figures like J.Lo but rarely seen on red carpets in recent years. The shoe is over a decade old. Webster recognized the request as specific and intentional.

“I just knew if I could get the shoes to Law, then he would get them on Zendaya, and magic would be made. I just felt it,” Webster said.

Energized by the possibility, Webster began her search. She checked her closet first and found a black pair, but the size wasn’t right. Her next move was to dig through her archive. Her husband suggested the warehouse hunt might be too large an undertaking given the tight timeline. The factory couldn’t produce a new pair quickly enough. No reseller had them in stock.

“My last hope was Instagram,” Webster recalled.

She posted a story asking followers if anyone owned the heels in the specific tan shade and size she needed. One person responded: Yvette, a Black shoe collector based in Maryland, had the exact pair.

Curious about why Webster needed the shoe, Yvette replied immediately. Learning they were for Zendaya, she didn’t hesitate to help.

“The fact that my shoes may end up with Zendaya—oh my gosh!” Yvette said.

After the pair shipped to Law Roach’s hotel in London, both women waited. When Zendaya was finally spotted in the heels, the moment felt complete. Yvette described how the shoes looked like they’d been custom-made for her.

“That walk that she had… oh my goodness. It looked like the shoe was literally made for her. It was just the most amazing moment ever,” Yvette said.

What made the moment especially meaningful: Yvette had spent the past year recovering from serious health complications. She’d made a promise to herself to celebrate life’s small wins along the way.

“This past year, I went through thyroid cancer. I underwent two surgeries, and I just made a promise to myself to really appreciate all the joys in life,” she said.

For Webster, gratitude ran deep. She was moved not only that Yvette lent the shoes, but that a heel she designed twelve years ago still carries the same style weight and cultural resonance it had in the early 2010s. That’s the real legacy of good design.