Second Life

Best known for her work with Beyoncé as both her personal stylist and the costume designer for Emmy Award–winning Black Is King, Zerina Akers is showing no sign of slowing down. Recently, her work with Megan Thee Stallion has been nothing short of superb; the collections she designed for Macy’s have almost completely sold out; and she’s continually building her e-commerce marketplace called Black Owned Everything, which seeks to incubate, amplify, and empower a community of brands to reach diverse and engaged audiences. On this episode, get a peek inside her brilliant mind—including the behind-the-scenes stories you don’t want to miss.

In 2011, a new brand launched that would soon rewrite the minimalist’s playbook: Cuyana. Co-Founders Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah built a brand centered on intentional design and buying, establishing Cuyana’s ethos as “fewer, better.” Today, Cuyana has grown to eight stores nationwide and is known for timeless collections of premium leather accessories and luxe wardrobe essentials, from alpaca and cashmere. Yet before Gallardo and Shah began setting a new standard in the industry, their early career lives were shockingly different. Gallardo worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst, and Shah began her career in interaction design, where she gained over 15 years of experience designing web and mobile interfaces for companies such as Disney, AT&T, and Sun Microsystems. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Gallardo and Shah came together to create a dynamic, strategic brand without losing sight of their mission.

If you’ve downloaded the app The Pattern, you already know that founder and astrologer Lisa Donovan’s knowledge of the stars runs deep. On this episode, we take a break from our regularly scheduled fashion programming to hear what the stars have in store for 2022. Hear about the intense energies you might have been feeling in December, a breakdown of what eclipses and retrogrades really mean, and the massive astrological event in the birth chart of the U.S. happening on January 22.

Pastry chef, entrepreneur, and author Amirah Kassem is the genius behind the Instagram-famous Explosion Cakes and her vibrant pastry brand Flour Shop. Since the brand’s founding in 2012, her one-of-a-kind creations have gained the attention of millions globally, including celebrities such as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Kassem has also written multiple books—The Power of Sprinkles: A Cake Book and two children’s books—and has product collections with everyone from Williams-Sonoma to Pottery Barn and an apparel collaboration with Vans. Most recently, she joined the Disney+ food-art series Foodtastic as a judge. But before she began paving her own pastry path, she worked in quite a different creative industry: fashion. She held a plethora of positions in the NY fashion scene, including at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and Johan Lindeberg’s beloved denim and leather label Blk Dnm. On this episode of Second Life, hear how Kassem turned her passion for pastries into a celebrated multi-vertical brand.

From her days modeling for Chanel to countless stunning movie premieres, actress Diane Kruger has been dressing the part for years. On this episode, fashion editor Eliza Huber chats with Diane for our January cover story about her upcoming film, The 355; her favorite items in her wardrobe; and the best places to shop, from Paris to New York.

Chrissy Rutherford has become the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She is a writer, entrepreneur, digital creator, and brand consultant. This year, Rutherford launched her own newsletter, FwdJoy, where she shares her unique perspective with her audience and covers a vast range of topics, from her relationship with therapy to tarot card readings. In 2020, alongside Danielle Prescod, Rutherford co-founded 2BG Consulting—a company dedicated to educating fashion and beauty brands on how to create actively anti-racist brand identities from the inside out while fostering inclusive and diverse values. Rutherford has become a passionate, authentic voice in the industry, but before she manifested her own unique path, she spent 12 years in the fashion media space, working her way up at Harper’s Bazaar as one of the first members of the digital team. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Rutherford found the faith to take the leap toward a new career path—on her own terms.

Jing Gao is the brilliant chef and entrepreneur behind Fly by Jing, the first premium Chinese food company that has turned into a foodie phenomenon, bringing thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Inspired by the flavors of her hometown Chengdu, China, Gao launched the brand with the hero product Sichuan Chili Crisp, which became the highest-funded food project on Kickstarter and, subsequently, the top-selling hot sauce on Amazon. Prior to Fly by Jing, Gao founded an award-winning restaurant in Shanghai, Baoism, and even started an international roving supper club. But before Gao found her calling through food and flavor, she actually worked as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble and in tech for Blackberry and the global design firm Frog Design. Is your jaw on the floor now? Just wait until you’ve heard Gao’s entire story.

Susan Matheson is responsible for costuming some of our favorite blockbuster movies, from Step Brothers and The Town to The Big Short and Friday Night Lights. She has been leading teams in creating sartorial worlds for over two decades, and her latest project is the highly anticipated Netflix film Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, that is debuting on December 24. But before Matheson established herself as a major player in the industry, she actually started her career working for Mattel, where she designed clothing patterns for Barbie and Disney toys. On this episode of Second Life, hear about the catalyst that made Matheson leave what she describes as a “dream career in fashion” to follow the truest form of her passion within film.

Frustrated by the lack of women in the luxury watch world, creative consultant and writer Brynn Wallner created Dimepiece, an Instagram account and complementary website aimed at empowering women to become smarter consumers of their own luxury timepieces. On this episode, Brynn breaks down and demystifies the shopping experience, gives us the history behind a few particularly iconic models, and dishes on the upcoming trends to be on the lookout for.

With over 30 years in the industry, Meagan Good, an actress, producer, director, and entrepreneur, has created her own path throughout Hollywood. Good made her debut into the world of acting when she was just 4 years old, appearing in shows such as Doogie Howser and Amen. By the time she was an early teen, she was in movies such as Eve’s Bayou and the Nickelodeon show Cousin Skeeter. She has also starred in major box-office films Think Like a Man and Anchorman 2. In her latest role, Good leads the new Amazon series Harlem, produced by legends Amy Poehler and Pharrell Williams, from Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver. As if her extensive list of acting accomplishments and features wasn’t monumental enough, Good has taken a step behind the scenes into producing and directing. In fact, her co-directorial feature debut, If Not Now, When?, was released last January. Good has also tapped into her entrepreneurial side and founded Good Girl Wraps, a line of multifunctional satin hair wraps. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Good has navigated many career pivots and continues to carve out space for herself in whatever arena she enters.