Zainab Jiwa, a 29-year-old content creator from Harrow, north-west London, has become one of the red carpet's most talked-about figures after a brief encounter with Zendaya at the London premiere of The Odyssey went viral, racking up 19 million views on TikTok, according to the BBC and AOL.com.
The moment happened as Jiwa arrived at the premiere wearing a custom gold gown complete with a hood, an outfit she says caught Zendaya's attention as the actress walked past. "She just walked past, and she saw me there. Her jaw just dropped, so did mine," Jiwa told the BBC. "It was just a stare-off for a minute, and she was like, 'Oh my god, amazing, amazing,' and then she just walked off." Jiwa said she is "still in shock" that her outfit registered with one of Hollywood's biggest stars, someone widely credited with popularizing "method dressing," the practice of matching red-carpet looks to a film's themes.
The clip's virality is notable given Jiwa's own approach mirrors that trend from outside the traditional celebrity system. As the BBC and AOL.com both reported, Jiwa is not a studio-backed star or stylist-driven actress but an independent creator who has built a following by designing elaborate, film-themed outfits for premieres she is invited to attend as a guest. Her getting-ready process is often filmed for TikTok, including the mundane, relatable moments familiar to any young adult still living with parents, such as calling out for help zipping up a corset.
Jiwa, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, is frequently one of the only attendees at these events covering her hair, but she says that has never limited her creativity. "Even though you're covered, you can still find a way to be on theme," she said. She describes her process of adapting looks to modest dress as a chance to "halalify the look," a phrase she uses often when reworking a design. "I have a fun time working around the fact that I cover my hair or I cover my arms," she told the BBC. "I enjoy that bit the most because it shows there's no restriction really here."
Her film-themed wardrobe choices have become something of a signature. For the second season of House of the Dragon, she wore a red gown by a student designer featuring three faces depicted wearing hijabs. For Spider-Man: Brand New Day, she added spiderweb henna to her look. For Gladiator II, she appeared in gold armor. "I'm a bit extra, but I like to add culture in everything I do," she said.
Jiwa's path into entertainment journalism started as a hobby. She has described herself as a fashion "addict" from a young age, saying her interest began "from the womb." Film was initially kept separate as a personal passion, with Jiwa posting videos for fun about her favorite movies and the outfits they inspired. That content eventually caught the attention of major studios. Disney was the first to take notice, offering her a junket interview for the Marvel series Moon Knight, where she got to question the cast directly. She has admitted the experience was rough at first. "I thought it was a scam," she said of the offer, adding of her own performance, "I can't watch that back. I was NOT good."
Since then, Jiwa has built a full-time career as a creator and presenter, interviewing A-list talent including Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Tom Hiddleston and, now, Zendaya, all while wearing outfits that reference the films being promoted. She is part of a wider wave of digital creators who have carved out space on red carpets alongside traditional press, a group that includes Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg, Reece Feldman and social media personality Jake Shane, according to the BBC.
The work is not glamorous behind the scenes. Jiwa said premiere invitations sometimes arrive with only a night's notice, forcing a scramble to put a look together before traveling to the event, often by public transport. "And I look ridiculous," she said of those journeys. She works with a range of designers and brands but also keeps costs down by reusing pieces where she can.
At home, the reality looks nothing like a red carpet. Jiwa described her house in Harrow as "chaos," with limited storage space meaning outfits often end up "shoved somewhere." She has a cat, siblings who frequently visit, and parents who get pulled in for last-minute wardrobe emergencies, including the corset-zipping moment captured on camera before The Odyssey premiere. She said her parents, while not expecting this career path for their daughter, are now "so supportive."
Jiwa's online following has grown alongside her media profile, with 660,000 followers on TikTok and close to 400,000 on Instagram, per the BBC's reporting. That visibility has brought criticism as well as praise, including comments from some who argue her outfits are not modest enough. "There's always hate in this industry," she said, but added that positive responses far outweigh the negative ones. "If I'm doing it to inspire other people, or entertain other people, or educate other people, if that's still happening, then I really don't care about the rest."
For now, Jiwa says she is simply enjoying a strong run of blockbuster releases. "The summer's felt good for film, I think it's exciting," she said, pointing to upcoming titles including Dune and Doomsday as reasons for continued enthusiasm. "I love film and TV. I think it's a really fun way to build community," she said. "I'm just a fan. At the end of the day, I'm just a fan."
