Who is Derek Roche? All about Diddy's longtime stylist who created rapper's famous 2018 Pope-inspired Met Gala look

Sean "Diddy" Combs is currently making headlines for the charges of s**ual assault and s** trafficking pressed against him recently, for which he awaits trial. Having released six studio albums so far, the rapper has established himself as one of the most popular rappers in the industry.

Another reason why Puff Daddy often made headlines in the past was because of his impeccable fashion sense. The 2018 Met Gala, for example, became an iconic moment as Diddy, in his all-white, Pope-inspired outfit, stole the show on the red carpet. Derek Roche, his longtime stylist, spoke about his look, saying:

"Puff actually went to Catholic private school as a kid, so this theme went with something that was engrained in him as a child."

Derek Roche is a North Carolina native who currently lives in LA. Besides styling celebrities, he is an experienced market editor for fashion magazines.

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Derek Roche wanted to be a speech pathologist growing up

Fashionista interviewed Derek Roche in October 2018, where he talked about growing up wanting to be a speech pathologist. Born and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Roche was the youngest of four siblings and enrolled in the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNC-G) after finishing high school.

Derek chose speech pathology as his major subject in college and was inspired by the daughter of one of his school teachers. However, before finishing his first year, Roche switched from speech pathology to textile design as he found his calling, adding that he enjoyed "making stuff to go out in."

Derek then talked about his internship with Patricia Field before his final year, calling it his "right of passage." Following graduation, Roche moved to Brooklyn, where he shared an apartment with a friend. Because UNC-G was a small art school, Derek knew he needed more experience to compete with kids who graduated from FIT or Parsons, "the 'Ivy League' of fashion schools."

"I knew I would have to do another internship, so I got one at Vibe in the fashion department under the fashion assistant."

While he didn't find much room for growth at Vibe, Roche returned to the magazine as a market editor two years later, followed by the opportunity to work with Diddy.

Talking about working with the Satisfy You rapper, Roche said:

"The thing that's exciting is that [Diddy] is into fashion; he's into music; he's into art — he's a chameleon. What really excited me about the job was the uncertainty of tomorrow. Things change minute by minute, day by day," he said. "I didn't know what I would need to do or where I would be, what city we were going to, what country we were going to."

Over the years, Diddy and Derek Roche have parted ways several times, only to reconnect again.

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Diddy's Met Gala ensemble had a cape that was removed last minute

In May 2018, Diddy appeared at the Met Gala's red carpet dressed in a Pope-inspired ensemble, with Cassie Ventura in a black suit by his side. Talking to Billboard about the rapper's ensemble, his stylist, Derek Roche, shared:

"I guess the best thing for him while in school and growing up, aside from his mom and his grandma and his dad, was believing in God. And in the Catholic church, the Pope is kind of the next thing to God, right?"

Roche continued, talking about the Peaches & Cream rapper's favorite color:

"It didn’t hurt that Puff’s favorite color is white. When we thought about what the Pope wears, Puff said, ‘I’m godlike, right? As a successful black man, as a father, as an entrepreneur. So why not wear that same cloth, why not wear white like the Pope?

Musika Frere, the designer of Diddy's suit, had also created a cape to be worn over the jacket. The cape was dropped at the last minute, alongside "the regalia and pomp and circumstance and embroidery," to keep the Victory rapper's look "more simple." Roche elaborated:

"[Diddy] didn’t want it to look like a costume. Even though it is a costume party, Puff didn’t want to look like he was dressed up for Halloween. He still wanted to be himself. So organically it evolved into this beautiful, heaven-like look. He looks so strong and powerful. He said that when he walked into the room, he wanted to look heavenly."

Referring to his jewelry for the night, Roche mentioned Jude Law in The Young Pope as an inspiration.