Meet B. Akerlund, Stylist to the Queens of Pop: Madonna, Gaga, and Beyoncé
Stylist B. Akerlund in a campaign for designer Anna-Karin Karlsson. Photograph: Ekaterina Belinskaya
In December of 2013, Beyoncé dropped her eponymous album, fourteen songs the world rushed to devour like that scene in Hook where the Lost Kids imagined food turns real and they don’t know what to do with it. And there weren’t just over a dozen new songs, there were also over a dozen new videos to go along with them. The most fashionable of the lot, “Pretty Hurts,” “Haunted,” “Partition,” and “Superpower” were all styled by the same woman: B. Akerlund.
And while you may not be familiar with B. Akerlund’s name, it won’t stay that way for long. Since the 1990’s, Akerlund has been responsible for some of the most iconic looks in music videos and on magazine covers. Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch,” and even Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba,” were all made doubly interesting at Akerland’s bold hand. (That Rolling Stone cover of Lady Gaga wearing a bubble dress that you had taped up on your bedroom wall? She’s responsible for that too!)
Now, Akerlund is branching out, extending her creative vision well beyond our favorite pop star’s looks. She recently took up directing, making a trippy, fashion-filled video for Swedish pop singer Laleh. She also has line of accessories called Le Snob (even though Akerlund’s anything but), which feature unique items like a clutch with a built-in lipstick, or a bag meant to carry your bottle of champagne. She’s also just launched WHOYOUARE, a website/app that is equal parts e-store, social media, and online portfolio for any young creative to use. We caught up with the powerhouse while she was on tour with Madonna and asked her about well, Madonna, styling, and the “Lovefool” Cardigans’ video that we’ve been obsessed with since we were 13.
YAHOO STYLE: What were you like growing up, what were your interests?
B. AKERLUND: I was extremely shy growing up and quickly found my comfort through clothing and fashion. When I was younger, my mother would take me shopping in Paris and dress me up in things like balloon pants, which I think sparked my unique sense of style.
YS: How did you first get started as a stylist?
BA: I loved theme dressing when I was younger, and more and more people started to recognize me for my personal style. I had a neighbor who was a photographer, and he took note of my style and suggested I become a stylist.
YS: Do you remember what your first styling job was?
BA: My first styling job was a calendar with drag queens and I used pieces from my personal closet. I would tell myself to keep following my heart and go after my dreams.
YS: That sounds amazing, do you have a favorite project from you’ve done, or one that you feel the most proud of?
BA: I am most proud of Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. It was the biggest challenge of my career and working on that project made me feel creatively complete.
Beyoncé’s “Haunted,” styled by B. Akerlund.
YS: You’re currently on tour with Madonna, can you tell me a bit about what a day on the road is like? What is the process like for outfitting a live show different than when it’s just for a record cover or video?
BA: When you’re on tour the days are nonstop so it’s a lot of hard work. I think styling a live show is more nerve-racking than styling a cover or a video because there are usually millions of people watching the show, so the expectations are high. A cover or a video is a controlled environment where everything can be fixed and reshot over and over again until it’s perfect.
YS: Do you think of your work as feminist? You work with the most iconic and influential women in the business, does that ever affect the way you approach your work?
BA: I don’t think of it as feminist, but I love women and I love to make them feel strong, sexy and unstoppable. Working with such influential women is definitely inspiring, but I treat each client and project the same. If I say yes to something I give it my all.
YS: What attracts you to working with musicians?
BA: It was never a conscious decision. Working with musicians just naturally made sense because of the various mediums from editorial shoots to music videos to live performances. My work has always been about the extraordinary and not just fashion. Fashion these days seems to be dictated by too many rules and I rail again rules. I just want to create!
YS: Your work extends to so many different mediums: tours, videos, movies, print – do you have a favorite? Do you approach each of them differently?
BA: I love to do movies – they live on forever. Where videos come and go so it’s satisfying to create a character in a film that will exist forever.
YS: I think it’s interesting that you say that videos “come and go.” I grew up with MTV and VH1 always on in the background, so a lot of my style sensibilities were shaped by the fashion in music videos. You styled The Cardigans’ “Lovefool,” which has always had one of my favorite fashion moments, the dress that Nina Persson wears with the plastic heart cutout at the chest. Do you remember where it came from? Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like working on that video?
BA: I loved that dress as well and wish it was featured more in the video! It was one of the first music videos that I styled. I borrowed the dress from my friend Heathyr who had a clothing line called “Mantrap.” It shot in NYC in the summer with a very low budget and I remember making costumes for the extras with duck tape and whatever materials I could get my hands on.
Laleh’s “Colors,” directed by B. Akerlund.
YS: When did you first realize that you wanted to direct? Did you learn anything new about yourself in the process?
BA: It’s not something I thought I wanted to do, but I later realized it’s what I am already doing. So when I was approached with the opportunity, of course I said yes.
Q: What are your favorite movies? Do you ever see yourself directing a full-length film or even writing one?
BA: I love classic movies like Dog Day Afternoon and Harold and Maude. To me it’s about a character and how they make you feel. I don’t really see myself directing or writing a full-length film; I leave that up to my husband (director Jonas Åkerlund). But I never say never because I don’t know what the future has in store for me!
YS: I love the concept behind “Who You Are,” can you tell me a bit more about your desire to create this platform?
BA: I am a wife, mother and fashion activist on a mission to show people they really can live their truths and be comfortable in it. That’s why I created WHOYOUARE. I wanted to give back to the fashion community and create a platform for undiscovered talent to become noticed by the fashion and entertainment industries regardless of where they are in the world. A lot of the designers and creators who are a part of the WHOYOUARE community don’t have the resources to become noticed on their own, and might not ever have the opportunity to show their work. WHOYOUARE gives them that opportunity.
YS: And let’s switch gears a little, the designs in your “Le Snob” line are so fun and unusual, how did the concept come about?
BA: About three years ago, I met my (now) business partner Robert Lussier. He had been working on this project for years and when he told me about it, we decided to collaborate. I wanted to design items that I actually wanted myself, which is where the idea for the champagne bag came from; I was looking for a fun party bag.
YS: That’s definitely the coolest bag! Speaking of fun, here’s one last question: if you had to get rid of all your material possessions and keep one book, one record, one movie, and one piece of clothing, what would you keep?
BA: I would keep the book Laws of Attraction because it reminds me to stay on my path. For movies, I would keep The Wizard of Oz so I could hold on to my childhood and for clothes, I would want to keep my jewelry because diamonds are forever.
More from Yahoo Style:
Madonna & Terrence Howard Survive the Apocalypse in “Ghosttown”
Madonna Is a Sexy Matador in “Living for Love”
Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift… They Were All Feminists in 2014
