Zendaya has long been a Shrekhead. “I watch Shrek too often in my adulthood,” she wrote on X in 2017. “You know me so well,” she said in a reply to a fan account’s tweet of a Shrek bouquet for her birthday in 2023. Now, Zendaya is set to travel from the dunes of Arrakis to the swamp of Far, Far Away—with news announcing that the actor is joining the cast of the forthcoming Shrek 5 movie.
The Dune actor will star in the green-hued cultural phenomenon alongside Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter, the green-skinned and red top-knot haired Felicia. A teaser released yesterday (February 27) gave a sneak peek.
Zendaya already has a busy 2025: Starring in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the fourth Spider-Man installment with her partner Tom Holland, and the third season of Euphoria. But with Shrek 5 set for release in December 2026, she and longtime styling partner Law Roach have some time to start planning her press tour wardrobe. Her sartorial odes to Challengers and Dune were some of last year’s most standout red carpet moments. It was game, set, and match with tennis whites via archive Ralph Lauren, custom Loewe tennis ball pumps, and a bespoke look from On Running designed in tribute to Althea Gibson, who became the first African American to win a Grand Slam in 1956. For her turn in the sci-fi epic Dune franchise, she slipped into a chrome set of armor from Mugler’s 1995 Cirque d’hiver 20th-anniversary collection archive, sandy Balmain layers, and warror princess-esque eveningwear via Vivenne Westwood.
The question is: What does method dressing as a swamp-living green ogre look like? Well, while Shrek 5 is set in a Far, Far Away, the feudal system and medieval garb suggests it’s loosely based around the 15th century, and probably in England. However, characters like Puss in Boots and Cinderella didn’t come along in popular culture until the 16th century. So there’s a long stretch of history to sartorially play with. And from the first glimpse at Felicia, she looks to have a nose-ring and a costume with some slightly more contemporary twists and updates. (Well, the Depop girls love a belt bag). It’s all up for interpretation, and if anyone’s up for the challenge, it’s Zendaya and Law Roach.
Maybe Roach could reach for the lyrical, blanketed layers of Rick Owens Fall 2012, a monochromatic collection that can speak to the peasant-wear of the time, as well as the era’s brutality—even an animated cartoon about a moody ogre needs some darker notes. Then Roach could make the call to Jonathan Anderson for some custom Loewe ogre-headed heeled pumps to take the edge off. Then there’s always the strong storytelling of Alexander McQueen’s archive: specifically Fall 1997, where models stalked the runway like feral beasts in a collection inspired by H.G. Wells’s novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, about a mad scientist who creates animal-human hybrids: Moss green leathers, muddy silks, and arpeggiating animal print skirts abound.
Leaning more into the joy of the cartoon creatures, there’s always Chopova Lowena, with designs inspired by folklore, Bulgarian craft traditions, and outdoor activities that Felicia could look cool while traversing the kingdom and surrounding swamps in. In rag-tag combos of color and print, a Gen Z ogre would love their pleated skirts with perforated belts, as well as the fun and functional carabiners studded with butterfly motifs and acid-colored charms. Looking to another London-based designer, there’s Chet Lo’s sherbet-hued popcorn tops, acid green clingy knits, and most recent season looks that included a spongey and spiked khaki mini-dress. Of course, leaning into green is a nonnegotiable.
On the more romantic side of the era and its more muted color palettes, there’s the sumptuous crushed velvet gowns of Roksanda Fall 2020 and burnt ochre velvet two-pieces from same-season Acne Studios, or else the the darker feminine florals of Simone Rocha. If Zendaya-as-Felicia wants to feel more the fantasy beyond the swamp, there’s always the brocade and silks of Rodarte and the diaphanous, gathered cream layered gowns of Jonathan Simkhai, wispy Ann Demeulemeester dresses and suits, and Molly Goddard’s tulle creations. Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen’s Fall 2025 candlelit show was one of New York Fashion Week’s triumphant debuts: It would surely enrapture a young Felicia too, with gauzy gowns, deconstructed hoop skirts, and tea-stained skirts.
We will of course see some custom looks: Whether that’s campy Loewe accessories—a pouch bag? A utility belt?—or some Louis Vuitton gowns. With so much to experiment with, Zendaya and Law Roach’s take on Far, Far Away fashion may get a new crowd into the cinemas and the Shrek universe.
