THE QUEEN HAS ARRIVED! The multi-talented artist and entrepreneur Rihanna is back to reclaim body positivity as the Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 is aired. Last year, the first ever Savage X Fenty show led to a new era of lingerie. Juxtaposing what deemed to be perfect and desirable at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. An inspiration to all, Rihanna wanted something authentic rather than inclusive and airbrushed. The Fall 2020 line was designed pre-pandemic and without a doubt needed to be showcased. Although not having the ability to shoot in front of a live audience like the first show, it was filmed over a few days at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early September. The show is jam packed with guest celebrities including Lizzo, Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid, Willow Smith, Paris Hilton, and so many more. Creative Director, Rihanna partnered with Amazon for the hour long show to stream on Prime Video.
On the Savage X Fenty website www.savagex.com, the writers explain that it was not just a fashion show. Rihanna and those who contributed wanted it to be a celebration of individuality and self-expression. With a combination of music and fashion the show filled the audience with an abundance of talent. When taking the first dive into the show, the audience is exposed to a garden. The Savage X Garden, if you will. The setting is dreamy and idyllic with a lot of lace, latex, and musical performances. Keeping creative was the most difficult aspect of the entire show as Rihanna opened up to People magazine explaining that "It was a completely different process this year. We had to work around the challenges of COVID-19, keeping everyone safe and their health at the top of our list.” Fortunately, Rihanna was able to create a movement of diversity and self-love all while keeping her creative juices flowing and managing a show during a pandemic.
There are a handful of takeaways that can not go unnoticed from Savage X Fenty Vol. 2. Before talking about the designs I want to discuss the lengths and depths Rihanna went through to create this groundbreaking show. During the pandemic, everywhere creatives were struggling. As the executive producer and creative director, Rihanna had to get comfortable with working with herself as we battle COVID-19. She explains that “Being in lockdown, all you have is really yourself — your mind, your own thoughts, your imagination — and it forces a lot of creative out of a lot of people. You come up with incredible material because you’re forced to be with yourself.”
Working by herself gave her the time she needed to conjure up ideas that catered more to things than just fashion. Such as sexuality, self-expression, and individuality. Rihanna strived to go deeper and as I said before, juxtapose the traditional lingerie market. Confidence doesn’t come with lingerie, you have to first own and be comfortable with yourself. The initial few designs that enter are covered with handwritten words and doodles by Rihanna. Inspired by diaries, the audience can observe that the lingerie is defaced with smiley faces, hearts, and other words. In case you haven’t received your fun fact of the day, Rihanna writes almost everything by hand and it was essential that it be displayed in the line. The most obvious difference between last year’s show and this year is the presence of men. Menswear was introduced to the line designed by Christian Combs, Sean Combs(P-Diddy) son. With copious amounts of confidence seen in both the men and women, the show strives to inspire the audience to love and express themselves. Not to mention how affordable and accessible the Fall 2020 line is.
The Savage X Fenty show has had the most outbreaking couple of years thus far. So different from the recently canceled Victoria Secret Fashion show, it is starting a new era. Rihanna did fantastic work creating an experience that involves both music and fashion which are major parts of her background. The mogul truly outdid herself in the creation of the Savage X Fenty Vol.2 show.
Comments