Jay-Z complimented Rachel Roy on her black lace gown during the 2014 Met Gala afterparty and that small gesture reportedly triggered the now-infamous elevator confrontation with Solange Knowles.
Fashion designer Oscar G. Lopez, who created Roy’s dress for the event, recently spoke out about the chaotic night that played out behind closed doors at the Standard Hotel in Manhattan.
“I think that Jay complimented her about the gown and Beyoncé’s sister felt that it was not proper, so it was a kind of a drama there,” Lopez told the Daily Mail.
The elevator footage from that 2014 night showed Solange physically confronting Jay-Z while Beyoncé stood silently nearby. The surveillance video, which leaked days later, became one of the decade’s most talked-about celebrity moments.
Lopez, who designed Roy’s French-sequined gown in under two weeks, said the dress received more attention than expected. Roy arrived late to the red carpet and missed most photo ops, but the drama that followed made the outfit unforgettable.
“Any press is good press,” Lopez said. “It’s good that people talk about you.”
Roy and Dash married in 2005 and divorced in 2009. During their marriage, she oversaw the women’s and children’s lines at Rocawear.
The seemingly innocent comment carried greater weight because of Jay-Z’s complicated history with Dash, Roy’s ex-husband and former Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder.
Jay-Z and Dash’s relationship began unraveling in the early 2000s over clashes over business and personal matters. Both men were romantically interested in Aaliyah during the late 1990s, but Dash ultimately dated the R&B singer until her tragic death in 2001.
Jay-Z eventually parted ways with Damon Dash. In 2004, the remaining half of Roc-A-Fella Records was sold to Def Jam for $10 million. In 2007, Rocawear was sold to Iconix for $204 million.
In 2004, Damon Dash helped Rachel Roy found Royale Etenia LLC, which launched her popular Rachel Roy brand. By 2009, Roy and Dash had divorced.
Lopez denied Jay-Z was sleeping with his former business partner’s ex-wife and said he and Roy laughed off the rumors about an affair. They didn’t take it seriously.
Speculation about Roy’s connection to Jay-Z reignited in 2016 when Beyoncé released her Lemonade album. The track “Sorry” referenced “Becky with the good hair,” which many interpreted as a jab at Roy.
Roy posted “Good hair don’t care” on Instagram shortly after the album dropped, but later denied any link to the lyric.