Like almost everything Rihanna does, her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty was a major success the moment it launched. The Savage X Fenty show has now become an annual tradition. This time of year, we all know to go to Prime Video for the spectacle. Tomorrow, that’s when it’s happening. 

 

And ahead of the release, premiere photos have been released of Rihanna and all her special guest models and performers including but not limited to Ricky Martin, Jazmine Sullivan, Daddy Yankee, Vanessa Hudgens, Irina Shayk, Troye Sivan, Gigi Hadid, and more. Also…  modelling legend, Cindy Crawford. 

Rihanna’s always good for a big surprise inclusion at her shows. Last time it was Demi Moore, remember?

Being in a Savage x Fenty show is now prestige, it’s a point of pride, something to aspire to. And what’s especially beautiful about that is that the opportunity is both exclusive, in that not everybody makes the cut, but it’s also inclusive, in terms of who’s represented in the cut. 

 

Once upon a time, it was another annual lingerie fashion show that was a pop culture tradition – for years. Victoria’s Secret, of course. VS fell behind on inclusion, they did not see the future until they were well in the past, and while the brand is pivoting and has seen some commercial success over the last couple of years, the fashion show is no more… 

And even if they tried to bring it back, as IF they could step to Rihanna, you know? How can they innovate beyond this? 

 

Victoria’s Secret used to be all about supermodels walking around in $10 million diamond bras and angel wings. Yes, of course, for a while it was amazing to look at but more and more it became a disconnect. How is the consumer going to relate to a $10 million bra on Alessandra Ambrosio? And how do the other, non-diamond pieces relate to the consumer when they’re not really shown functionally? 

Savage X Fenty shows present the pieces in movement. Real movement. So it’s not just the kinds of bodies that are showcased but what those bodies are doing: dancing, running, stomping, LIVING. That’s the difference Rihanna makes.