Zendaya said she snuck onto her first Oscars red carpet, leading to one of the biggest fashion moments of her career

• Zendaya revealed to Vogue that she wasn't actually supposed to walk her first Oscars red carpet.
• She said she snuck in front of photographers to showcase her Vivienne Westwood gown and long locs.

Zendaya made history on the 2015 Oscars red carpet — but she wasn't technically supposed to be there.

In a new episode of Vogue's "Life in Looks" YouTube series, the "Dune" actor shared her stories and thoughts on various outfits she's worn throughout her career.

When shown a photo of the white satin gown she sported at the Academy Awards years prior, Zendaya, 27, said she was strategic about getting photographed at the event.

"I had stayed up quite late the night before having my hair done," she told Vogue. "I didn't have any kind of credentials or anything. I kind of snuck onto the red carpet."

She added: "I was like, 'Listen. I have been up all night getting my hair done. We have this amazing Vivienne Westwood dress. I'm getting on this red carpet.' So I kind of shimmied on there even though I wasn't really supposed to."

Zendaya's efforts paid off, with the then 18-year-old actor posing for photographers across the red carpet. It was her first time at the Oscars.

But the now-iconic fashion moment and her long locs also led to controversy.

As the red carpet was being broadcast on television, E! News correspondent Giuliana Rancic infamously mocked Zendaya and said she assumed the actor smelled like "weed" and "patchouli oil."

Zendaya later spoke out against the comments in an Instagram post, saying Rancic's "ignorant slurs" left her "in awe."

"My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough," Zendaya wrote in 2015.

Rancic apologized at the time, saying her comments "crossed the line" and that she was "so, so sincerely sorry" for offending people, including Zendaya.

The actor later reflected on the experience while speaking with W Magazine in 2021 and said the Oscars incident was deeply impactful.

"That's how change happens," Zendaya told the publication. "And it made me think, 'How could I always have a lasting impact on what people saw and associated with people of color?'"

The 2015 red-carpet moment was also one of the fashionable appearances that led Zendaya to reach style icon status and earn major business deals within the fashion industry.

This year, she's been wearing one standout look after another while promoting her new film "Challengers," which has the potential to become the highest-grossing tennis movie in history.

She also continues to work as a Bulgari ambassador, a role she's held since 2020, and as a Louis Vuitton ambassador, which she took on in 2023.