Lady Gaga's Stylist Has the Best Job Ever

Styling someone like Lady Gaga could be thrilling yet also hard work, but for B. Åkerlund (pictured, inset) it's a match made in heaven.

The uber stylist sat down with the folks over at Anthem magazine for this amazing interview inside Lady Gaga's costumes.

Can you talk a little bit about your background in fashion and how you ultimately chose to become a stylist?
I’ve loved clothes my whole life and it’s always been a passion of mine. I guess I fell into it quite naturally. Someone told me that I should become a stylist, but I didn’t know what that would entail and didn’t realize you could get paid to do something that you love.

What were you doing before you got into styling professionally?
Well, I started styling when I was 17. I’ve been doing it for quite a long time...

How did you first meet Lady Gaga?
I actually had a meeting with her before her album came out and she sought me out wanting to work with me. But at the time, I wasn’t available because I was pregnant. I just gave birth to twins and I was in Sweden for a couple of months taking time off. So, I passed on her offer. She called me up for every video that she’s ever done and I was just never available. This time around, she actually contacted my husband, Jonas, the director of “Paparazzi.” He asked me, “Should we do Gaga?” and I’m like, “Yes, perfect timing!” I was totally ready for her and we both realized that it’s a match made in heaven.

How did she stumble onto your work?
I have no idea. She just said she knew. I asked her, “How do you know that we’re so perfect for each other?” and she said, “I just know.” She’s like a sister that I never had.

Did she have a personal stylist before you came onboard?
She never had a personal stylist, but she has a creative director named Matthew Williams that she works with that does all the set design and collaborates with her on all her own designs. She calls her all of her own stuff “Haus of Gaga.” She hasn’t really worked with one particular stylist before me.

For the record, you’re her first official stylist?
I hope so! [Laughs] That’s the word!

Is this a full-time gig or does she sort of hit you up whenever she has something specific in mind?
She’s definitely a very strongly opinionated artist. She knows exactly what she wants and sometimes she’ll go ahead and make stuff on her own. I think she just needs me for more specific jobs, you know? I mean, she’s very busy and she’ll never do anything twice. On her promo tour around the world, she has about a million things going on all the time so I try to help out whenever I can.

What is it like styling for someone with such a huge presence in the world of celebrity, and especially Lady Gaga whose persona is so strongly informed by what she wears?
For me, it comes very naturally. I feel like styling her is like styling myself. [Laughs] She’s like what I see myself 10 years ago because I used to be a really crazy dresser. It’s just an amazing opportunity to be able to dress somebody as elaborate as your imagination will take you. As far as my imagination will go, she’ll most likely go there with me.

What is the collaborative process like in creating Lady Gaga’s clothes? How much of the concept comes from Gaga and how much input do you have as the stylist?
I feel like I have a lot of input because I come from the world of fashion. I don’t like to pull fashion; I like to make fashion. I feel like Gaga and I are alike in that respect. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about the new hot designers; it’s whatever we feel like doing at the moment. If that means pulling from old resources of designers we like or archives of things or whatever it is. It doesn’t matter as long as it feels right.


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