On August 28, the iconic West Hollywood hotel, the Chateau Marmont, hosted a stylish dinner with cultural tastemakers like Harmony Tividad, Barbie Ferreira and Avalon Lurks, among others. It was a dinner to celebrate Stars Align, a dating app for the astrology-conscious crowd.
We have seen the rise of “Zodiacations,” or astrology-themed wellness itineraries, not to mention astrology-inspired high fashion collections, like Gucci’s cruise 2023 show, “Cosmogonie,” or Dior’s 2017 couture collection, which had gowns draped with astrology-themed embroidery.
“Astrology has become an integral component of the cultural zeitgeist, especially as we’re becoming more disconnected to ourselves in an increasingly uncertain future,” said Grace McGrade, the Head Astrologer and Creative Director at Stars Align. “We use the shared language of astrology to draw deeper connections among one another while setting a precedent for how we should approach self-discovery and love.”
In a time when dating apps are boring and generic, Stars Align speaks to women. The app was founded in 2021 by Gelika Bücker and Thomas Rutherfoord, who is the current CEO. “As a society, we are lonely,” said Rutherfoord. “We believe that healthy human connection is foundational for a fulfilling life, and yet, our growing reliance on technology for connection is numbing our capacity to truly connect with ourselves and others.”
It also speaks to the fashion crowd. “Fashion and astrology go hand and hand,” notes McGrade. “Stars Align is at that intersection of fashion and lifestyle. In the fashion world, I’ve seen a lot of the “Dressing For Your Sign” type stories or even brands that lean into astrological elements; like Staud and Lingua Franca.”
Rutherfoord aims to create what he calls “emotionally intelligent alternative to swipe culture,” by engineering depth over superficiality. The app uses a compatibility algorithm based on one’s placements of sun, moon and rising sign, which are used as three pillars to understand one’s unique personality traits. The sun sign is said to represent our basic personality, the moon explains our inner, emotional nature and our ascendant, or rising sign, captures our outer appearance and first impression to the world.
“We believe astrology offers insight into our personal story and allows understanding of the relational context in which we exist,” said Rutherfoord. “Our treatment of astrology in the dating context rewrites the interaction model of online dating, moving the reward system away from matching and towards the act of getting to know the other person on a deeper level before meeting in person.”
McGrade has served astrology readings as part of partnerships with Schiaparelli and Nieman Marcus. “I think making mysticism chic is important,” she notes, adding that: “the fashion world thrives on archetypes: the ingénue, the femme fatale, the bohemian, the trickster. Astrology shows us where these myths live within ourselves and each other.”
Unlike most dating apps, Stars Align is dominated by women (the guys will be happy to hear that), and offers insights into dos and don’ts in relation to current planetary shifts, from the infamous “mercury in retrograde” to what the app calls potential suitors who are “Marriage Material” based on your astrological compatibility, rating each swipe in a rating out of five.
Once the veil is lifted and one adopts an open-minded perspective, men seem to benefit most from astrological learnings,” said Rutherfoord.
Their “match discovery” page is accessible to users in Los Angeles, and they have plans on expanding to greater California and beyond over the next few months.
Rutherfoord explains how the app plans on expanding to cities like New York, Austin, Chiago San Diego and Las Vegas in 2026.
“However the greater vision is to expand to places where the headwinds might be the strongest, at which point we will know we made an impact,” he said. “We want to break away from the transactional nature of brand sentiment.”
Follow @starsalign on Instagram.