Just over a month ago, Aretha Franklin’s funeral was beamed across the globe from Detroit. Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Jennifer Hudson sang, former president Bill Clinton spoke and a parade of more than 100 pink Cadillacs lined the streets. Even in death, Franklin underwent a series of costume changes. Her looks included a bright crimson mid-length cocktail dress, another in pastel blue, and a golden evening gown, each accessorised with matching five-inch Christian Louboutin heels.
Franklin’s seven-hour ceremony took place the day before that of Republican senator John McCain. “It was a really great weekend for funeral coverage,” says Erin Furey, one of the co-founders of Going Out In Style, a US-based funeral planning service that launched last year. “Hopefully this gets people thinking about their own service a little more,” adds her colleague Cassidy Iwersen.
According to Iwersen, times are changing. No longer is your average person willing to shuffle off this mortal coil with a nondescript outfit, generic flowers and hastily designed order of service. Iwersen and her three co-founders want to help people find a different way to do things — while tapping into a hidebound $16bn industry.