Zerina Akers Streamlines Holiday Shopping with Digital Storefront on The List App
The celebrity stylist tells L'OFFICIEL all about creating a festive shopping edit on The List's new "social commerce" app, and what trends to shop this season.
Stylist to Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe Bailey, and Beyoncé, Zerina Akers is always on the hunt for standout pieces worthy of her A-list clients. This holiday season, she’s partnering with The List to curate a Digital Storefront on the luxury e-commerce platform’s newly launched app to highlight some of her favorite festive finds.
Part social network, part commerce platform, The List’s app allows users to shop from custom content and live streams from their favorite brand, stylist, or personal shopper. By “following” labels on the app, you can tailor your shopping experience to your own interests, and if you’re looking to branch out, the platform features a number of up-and-coming designers. You can also utilize the app to track down rare designer or vintage pieces from across the globe, as it will search and connect you with a seller with the best price.
Essentially, The List makes the luxury retail experience accessible to anyone with a smartphone. For Akers, the app streamlines the personal shopping she executes for her clients (and herself!), and assists in tracking the rising designers and Black-owned brands also featured on the Black Owned Everything digital marketplace she launched earlier this year. Akers’ Digital Storefront on The List highlights the stylist’s favorite trends and designers of the season, featuring ready-to-wear and accessories that are perfect for holiday parties and New Year’s Eve dressing. Here, Akers speaks with L’OFFICIEL about how she created her Digital Storefront, how she optimizes The List app, and what trends she’s forecasting for the holidays.
L’OFFICIEL: What were some of the brands or pieces you knew you wanted featured in your Digital Storefront on The List?
Zerina Akers: I was able to incorporate so many brands I’m loving right now into my Digital Storefront for The List. With the holiday season approaching, I was thinking fun and bold; the woman that shops this curation isn’t afraid to stand out and, in any of these pieces, she will. From cocktail dresses by Mugler and Christopher Esber to accessories from Alessandra Rich, Panconesi, and Amina Muaddi—all designers I am such a fan of—this Storefront offers head to toe looks from an assortment of both emerging and established brands.
L’O: How can users utilize The List as a styling tool?
ZA: The List offers over 800 designers, from renowned fashion houses to emerging labels. There is truly something for everyone, men and women! I love that I can use the app to mix classic with funky, sexy with traditional, and so on and so forth. The way content is displayed in a feed similar to Instagram makes it super easy to envision how brands are mixing and matching, and how they’re styling their latest collections, too.
L’O: How do you shop on The List—by trend, by garment, just browsing, etc?
ZA: What I love about The List is how seamless the app makes it to discover new and emerging brands, along with new drops from some of my favorite more established designers. I “follow” my favorite brands through a feed that is personalized to my designer and store preferences and, what’s really interesting, is I can shop directly via videos my favorite brands have produced; those videos all have direct links to shop within them.
L’O: What holiday trends are you shopping this season?
ZA: For parties, I’m loving a maximalist approach this season—spring colors in the fall, faux fur, mixing textures, wide-leg trousers, and leather. Given the nature of my job, I do wear a lot of active and loungewear too, traveling and schlepping wardrobe from point A to point B makes it very necessary. I’m all about a good lounge set, especially one that can go from day to night!
L’O: Any key pieces for the holidays that can be re-styled throughout the season for various types of celebrations (like an office party, dinner soirée, NYE night out, etc.)?
ZA: I love Panconesi jewelry. The collection is so innovative and, despite their boldness, pieces are surprisingly versatile. My Digital Storefront has this gorgeous fuchsia stacked ring with crystals that I know I’ll be wearing beyond the holiday season. It’s the perfect pop of color, paired with a chic black cocktail dress, for a holiday party but goes equally well with jeans and boots for a dinner out with the girls. Despite its vibrancy, it really goes with anything.
L’O: Are there any up-and-coming designers you're excited about right now?
ZA: So many. Mia Vesper for sure; I have been tapping her collection to style clients and I love that her pieces are available on The List. I am also loving Alessandra Rich, Andrew Gn, Christopher Esber, Keama, Sabirah, Mijes, Am:pm, Shekudo, and the list goes on. I love discovering new brands and highlighting those that are Black-owned on Black Owned Everything, as well as on my own personal channels; I find social media so amazing for this, both discovering and promoting emerging designers.
L’O: Do you have a favorite vintage find from The List?
ZA: I love mixing masculine with feminine. The List has a great selection of vintage Rolexes I can do just that with; there’s a Submariner Blue Dial Steel Yellow Gold Mens Watch 16613 that is certainly a splurge, but one of the many amazing things about a Rolex is that it’s an excellent investment piece.
