Zerina Akers is an American

fashion stylist Fashion is a form of Self-expression values, self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, Lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle, Fashion accessory, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and ...

and

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

. She is best known for her positions as

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's personal stylist, costume designer for the 2020 musical film ''

Black Is King ''Black Is King'' is a 2020 American musical film and visual album directed, written, and executive produced by American singer Beyoncé. It is a visual companion to the 2019 album '' The Lion King: The Gift'', curated by Beyoncé for ''The Lion ...

'', and founder of the

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain manageme ...

site "Black Owned Everything". Her work with Beyonce is what has earned her the most recognition and she has found herself being celebrated among the pages of magazines like

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

and

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

Early life

Akers was born in

Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the so ...

. Akers first gained an interest in fashion when designing clothes for high school fashion shows.

Career

Akers studied for two years at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, and began her career in the fashion industry as an intern at ''W'' Magazine in 2006. During her time as an intern, she worked amongst big names such as Alex White, Karl Temper and Shiona Turini. She then moved to New York and completed her studies at

LIM College LIM College is a private for-profit college in Midtown Manhattan focused on the business of fashion. LIM College offers master's, bachelor's, and associate degree programs in fashion-focused majors with an emphasis on the connection between rea ...

. During her time at LIM College, Akers studied abroad at the

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

, completed an internship with

Stella McCartney Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCa ...

, and freelanced at ''W'' Magazine and ''

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion".Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides infor ...

''. She went on to assist stylists such as

Lori Goldstein Lori Goldstein is an American fashion stylist, editor, designer of LOGO by Lori Goldstein for QVC, and author of 'Lori Goldstein: Style Is Instinct'. She has frequently collaborated with photographers Steven Meisel and Annie Leibovitz, creating ...

and Camilla Nickerson on television commercials and fashion editorials. In 2011, she began work at

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

, coordinating and styling catalog shoots. Akers noticed the possibility for a career in the entertainment world after assisting Bea Kerlund on a shoot with Beyoncé. She started styling Beyoncé's Instagram editorials in 2014. She styled Beyoncé's "Formation" music video in 2016, when she wore a wide-brimmed black hat. Akers continued to collaborate with Beyoncé on projects in 2018, styling the "Apeshit" music video, the On The Run II Tour, and the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 concert. Akers has styled director Ava DuVernay, actress Yara Shahidi, and R&B duet Chloe x Halle in addition to being Beyoncé's personal stylist and wardrobe curator. In 2020, Akers received widespread critical acclaim for her work as costume designer on ''

'', a musical film and visual album by Beyoncé. The costumes in the film were intended to celebrate the culture, traditions and history of black people, both in Africa and the

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

. Akers styled Beyoncé in more than 75 costumes for the film, working together with both global brands and young black designers. For her work on the film, Akers won Best Styling in a Video at the 2020 UK Music Video Awards, and Stylist of the Year at the 2020

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

Best In Black Fashion Awards. Akers was also included in ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'''s 2021 "Hollywood's Most Powerful Stylists" list, and ''

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'''s "Luminaries" list, celebrating "25 women pushing boundaries and accomplishing extraordinary feats". Following the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

and the resurgence of

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

in 2020, Akers launched the Instagram account "Black Owned Everything". The account was created to highlight emerging black-owned business in industries such as fashion, beauty, food, and home goods. Akers inspired many other black owned communities to start businesses. Akers is an inspiration and an achiever that is looked up upon. After the account grew in popularity, in February 2021, Akers turned it into an

site. The "Black Owned Everything" marketplace features black-owned brands and designers, and its launch coincided with a three-month pop-up store in Los Angeles. Additionally, Akers launched the Akers and Akers Foundation, a nonprofit organization that incubates emerging designers and implements financial literacy programs in the community. Together with actor, writer and producer

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series ''The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–prese ...

, Akers took part in

Adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

's "Create Change: Conversations with Creators" series, which focused on utilizing creativity to make impactful change, especially amid 2020's social and cultural climate. In 2021, Akers styled

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

Icons of Style campaign and

Zales The Zale Corporation is an American jewelry retailer, incorporated in Delaware in 1993. The principal executive offices are located in Coppell, Texas. History The company began in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, when the two Russian-Jewish immig ...

' Mother's Day campaign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akers, Zerina Living people 1986 births African-American designers American costume designers Women costume designers Fashion stylists Beyoncé People from Landover, Maryland