WHOYOUARE Launch - H 2015
Billy Farrell Agency/Courtesy of WHOYOUAREShe’s a champion of under-the-radar designers and a go-to stylist for some of the biggest names in music, from Lady Gaga to Beyonce. And on Thursday night, B. Akerlund added one more title to her résumé — founder of the fashion-minded WHOYOUARE app.
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To kick off the launch, Akerlund and blogger Aureta Thomollari invited friends and family to join them in the brand’s newly imagined ninth-floor showroom perch in Hollywood for an intimate affair that also coincided with Akerlund’s birthday. “I wanted to display fashion so that it speaks to everyone,” said Akerlund as she glided around the room greeting guests, wearing a pair of oversize cherries on her head that made her easily noticeable amid the crowd of equally fashion-forward partygoers. Pleather pants, feather jackets and all things leather were de rigueur, not to mention plenty of outlandish accessories and headpieces, which vied for attention with the pieces on display throughout the Akerlund-designed goth-meets-glam showroom.
“I really created a product that I wanted myself, and I figure if I want it, other people will,” said Akerlund, referring to her newly debuted app, WHOYOUARE, which gives users access to an ever-evolving database of industry talents and enables them to shop for pieces directly from the designers. The showroom — a physical manifestation of the app — invites designers to display their pieces.
“I knew it was going to be fantastic,” said Malin Akerman, who has been styled by longtime pal Akerlund in the past and wanted to be on hand to celebrate her fellow Taurus’ birthday (Akerman’s birthday, she noted, is two days later).
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Guests gathered around a black-and-white Chanel-inspired birthday cake as Fergie led the room in a lively rendition of “Happy Birthday.” And as Akerlund blew out the candles, she laughingly made her birthday wish known to guests: “Download my app!”
