Zerina Akers Reveals Her L.A. Club and Showroom (That Includes A Chloé Coat Worn by Beyoncé)

Tucked away in Tarzana is a stately home designed as a style and social haven, where any customer who needs a fashion fix or wants to learn or engage in thoughtful ideas is welcome to participate. That’s been the plan of star stylist Zerina Akers since she first saw her new headquarters.

“In addition to wanting this to be a creative space, I wanted to forge a community in which everyone would feel welcome,” says Akers of Saint Helen’s House, a social-club space that includes a sustainable fashion-rental showroom she has dubbed “The Show Must Go On.”

“It was a simple decision to open the doors to everyone. It’s not just celebrities and styling; every woman can come in and enjoy a celebrity styling experience.”

Counting Beyoncé, Chloe x Halle, Megan Thee Stallion and Niecy Nash among her high-wattage clientele, Akers had been working out of ever-expanding offices in a Hollywood building for years. Then one day she realized that what she was paying in rent would be better served by owning her own space. “If I’m going to spend $20,000 a month for a retail space, ownership is the better way. It’s important to have control,” says Akers, who won an Emmy in 2021 for her costume-design work on Black is King, the musical co-written, executive produced and directed by Beyoncé.

Akers named Saint Helen’s House for Saint Helena, the circa-300 A.D. Roman empress and mother of Emperor Constantine I, acknowledged to be the woman who discovered Christ’s cross of crucifixion while traveling to Jerusalem. “The origin of the name also means ‘light’ or ‘sun,’” Akers explains to The Hollywood Reporter. “She also is the patron saint of needle makers and nail smiths. So for me it’s very spiritual, but it’s also about paying tribute to the simple, humble needle playing a part in the fashion industry as a whole. To honor that name and that entity I thought could be really beautiful.”

Concept in hand, the perfect venue revealed itself surprisingly quickly — especially considering L.A.’s competitive real-estate market, Akers says. “I did not plan on buying a house, but it all just aligned,” she notes of the Tarzana space. “I saw it on a Sunday and put an offer in by Tuesday. But even during escrow I was still looking, just in case, but nothing at that price offered the same level of amenities. Just the way the house is laid out, we could host a fashion show, we could host a wedding. One room was already built out as a fashion closet, another was built out as a glam room. So it was just about putting a step forward and not talking myself out of it.”

Indeed, it was in realizing the possibilities that Akers expanded her plans to include a social club; plans for everything from seminars to cooking classes and makeup tutorials have been developing with ease, she says. “Our events schedule will kick off in September,” Akers reports. “Top of my mind is to do weekend styling boot camps for young stylists and bring in people like Wayman and Micah and Karla Welch, or a weekly stretch class with a ballet dancer. But we’ll also offer educational components: how do you get your business funded as a founder, for example.”

Upon viewing the elegant interiors, Akers also knew the space was tailor-made to showcase artists in a rotating series of gallery events. Working alongside Hammer Museum curator Erin Christovale, Akers has gathered a thoughtful selection of Black artists, including February James, Adee Roberson and Khari Johnson-Ricks. The project feels like the next natural step of Black-Owned Everything, the online retail site for Black creators, launched by Akers in 2021. “It felt important to be in a space in L.A. that included this constant mix of talented people,” she explains. “Maria Maea is a wonderful Latin artist, Adee Robinson is local here in L.A., while Khari Johnson-Ricks and February James are from New York. I wanted everything about this concept to feel inclusive.

Inclusivity, of course, is integral to the approach of The Show Must Go On, an impressive fashion closet that embraces sustainability, independent designers and respect for every size in equal measure. “We go up to 3X in clothing and sizes 43 and 44 in shoes,” Akers notes. “We offer archived Chanel, Versace, Alaïa and Gucci, as well as Sergio Hudson — we’ve gotten some of his suits in, the fit is impeccable. But also independent labels like Amplitude, based here in L.A., or Khoi, a jewelry brand based in Chicago that tends to sell out. There are also some things I’ve custom-designed for a project, but perhaps they never got used, and now they have a space to live.”

Akers says she’s currently focused on ways to ensure a consistent offering of clothing and accessories clients haven’t seen on previous appointments. “Renewing inventory is a constant evolution,” she explains. “I want to partner with designers based in New York or Paris who want representation in L.A., while we’re also bringing in designers from India and Saudi Arabia. But we’re also building out an ecosystem: If you own a storage unit of luxury clothes, we can now rent out your garments for you, while you’ll still own your clothes.”

Most importantly about this by-appointment-only showroom, clients need not be A-listers. “It’s not only about stylists or industry insiders,” Akers insists. “It’s for everyone. You can book a style suite appointment for an hour or more of time that’s solely dedicated to you. You’ll fill out a questionnaire that asks about your style inspo, where you’re going and body questions, and from there you’ll walk into a room with a rack of clothes, shoes and accessories ready for your fitting.”

Rates start at $300 to block an hour of time, with most three-day clothing rentals ranging from $150 to $500, while coveted archive pieces might rent for $1,000. Akers adds, “The archive includes a cream Chanel coat Beyoncé once wore to a basketball game; that’s a $30,000 piece.”

Unsurprisingly, early feedback has been wholly positive. “I love hearing women say, ‘No one has ever listened to me’ or ‘I can’t believe you have my size,’” Akers says. “It started with just opening the door to everyone and seeing what would happen. But I knew at our launch event, which attracted this truly diverse group of phenomenal women, that we were onto something. The energy was so good, people didn’t want to leave.”