Beyoncé Stylist Zerina Akers Opens a Designer Fashion Rental Showroom in L.A.

Hollywood stylist and costume designer Zerina Akers, whose clients include Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Latto and Karol G, has a new venture. And it’s for everybody.

She’s opened her high fashion rental showroom The Show Must Go On in a residential space in Tarzana, in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. It’s a little off the beaten path from most of the city’s showrooms, but just a couple of freeway exits from Hollywood-rich Calabasas and shopping destination Westfield Topanga, where Hermès opened not too long ago.

Inside St. Helen’s House, as she calls it, are racks and racks and shelves and shelves of clothing and accessories collected over the years, from a vintage 2005 Roberto Cavalli Ming vase-effect corset and 2013 Tom Ford zebra-stripe gown to an Alessandro Michele for Gucci 2016 trompe-l’oeil sequin cocktail dress and current feathery 16Arlington set.

“We even have the $30,000 Gucci cape Beyoncé wore when she was pregnant to a basketball game. It’s not the one she wore, but it’s the same style,” said Akers, who won an Emmy for her costume design on the superstar’s 2020 musical film “Black Is King,” and recently designed costumes for Cirque de Soleil’s first country-themed show “Songblazers” running now in Nashville.

She envisions the space as a resource not only for young, up-and-coming stylists who may not yet have the clout to pull from the fashion big houses, but also for regular women looking for a more sustainable fashion option, or something special for a big night or day out. There’s also a selection of streetwear and menswear curated by fellow stylist Ugo Mozie, who works with Maluma and Jeremy Pope, among others.

“Initially when I had the idea, I thought it would really cater to stylists and costume designers,” she said of the showroom, which first opened last year in Hollywood before relocating to the Valley. “But I decided to open the doors to the public, and that really changed the game. We’ve met such phenomenal women, such an awesome community of C-suite level women and celebrities that come to us directly,” she said, mentioning clients Lupita Nyong’o and Jordin Sparks, who wasn’t happy with her Grammys dress and came in the morning of the ceremony to rent the black Zigman gown she wore instead.

Just as gratifying, however, is dressing women who are behind the scenes. “They’re not necessarily celebrities, but they’re going to all the same award shows. They’re going to all these different benefits. They’re constantly in need of a look.”

To stock the showroom, Akers, a longtime vintage collector, buys current runway collections and has partnered with vintage dealers and independent designers who don’t have representation in L.A. She has roughly 5,000 pieces, including gowns, cocktail and daytime looks, gloves, glasses, belts, bags and shoes, including preset outfits that she’s created. Some pieces have been worn by her clients — so theoretically, one could rent from the red carpet.

Rental fashion has overcome its stigma, Akers said, and indeed, there are now several high fashion rental businesses around L.A., including Albright, Janet Mandell and Paume, and tech-enabled Pickle that recently expanded to L.A. with peer-to-peer rental fashion.

“With social media, it’s become like, ‘well, I wore it already or was photographed in it.’ Everybody has adopted these ideas that used to be very unique to celebrities. And people just want to look good, there’s a lot of content to create and there are a lot of events to attend,” said Akers, who is also the founder of e-commerce site Black Owned Everything.

What makes The Show Must Go On unique is it also offers styling services, she said.

“Sometimes fashion can be overwhelming for people, so you can come in and book a style suite appointment, and that will block off an hour time where the team is dedicated to you. You fill out a questionnaire about what events you’re going to, things that you want to highlight or maybe conceal about your body, your style inspirations and we build the looks from there.”

Prices start at $10 for a pair of glasses and go to $1,500 for an archive Chanel coat or Paco Rabanne gown, and The Show Must Go On is open by appointment only at tsmgofashionrental.com. This fall, Akers will also launch the collection on the website making it even more widely available.

She’s also planning for St. Helen’s House to become a community space and co-working social club, hosting exhibitions of up-and-coming artists, wellness activations and courses for young stylists. “To be able to supply and support young stylists is a really interesting place to be in, just to be able to help them through,” she said. “I just really want to give back through this space.”