“Story telling is the last part of the journey.”
Rihanna
Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty fashion show opened with the singer sharing these words.
It seems that the fashion show, available on Amazon Prime Video, is the last part of Rihanna’s journey of self-discovery that has developed throughout her whirlwind career. More specifically, becoming comfortable with her sexuality.
The show featured a star-filled ensemble. Celebrities from Paris Hilton to Bella Hadid modeled the singer’s latest lingerie line. The diversity of the stars and the way their looks reflected their own definition of sexy is central to the brand’s core. Creating and channeling new personas is a capability that does not discriminate.
The first star to walk the runway was Cara Delevingne. The model rocked a long white mullet and alluring black lingerie. Delevingne revealed during the show that she often felt like an alien when she was younger. By the looks of her ferocious walk, this is something she has since embraced.
Jennifer Rosales, Executive Producer of the show, said that Rihanna has a special ability to make aesthetics out of imperfections and turn them into global sensations.
“Whether it’s a shoe, or whether it’s a piece of fabric on a tablecloth, she has that eye that spots beautiful aesthetics,” said Rosales.
The special showcased Rihanna, the creator. Not only is she a singer, an actress and a businesswoman, she is also a shapeshifter. The singer says her creation is rooted from deep within. For Rihanna, interpretation and making everything personal to who you are is the creative force behind her vision.
The courage to define “savage” to mean something different and personal to all women is something that Rihanna wanted to be at the core of the brand. “Inspiration can come from anything. What makes it unique is your own interpretation on that message, that color scheme, that texture,” she said.
Being able to interpret these things is something Rihanna considers a blessing. “We gain inspiration from everything we are around and we have just been blessed to have the opportunity to be around of a lot of different experiences and cultures,” she said.
Apart from her own personal experiences, Rihanna also credited drag queens for feeding her yearning for expansion.
“It really is inspiring to me how you can use colors, paint, makeup, textures just to embody whatever you want to. I watched drag queens do the same thing when they draw in their lips and all of a sudden their entire demeanor changes,” Rihanna said.
She says that the transformation is something you can feel and there is an empowerment within that. Displaying sexuality is something far deeper than the surface. Rihanna insists that it IS personal.
Demi Moore, age 57, embodied the notion that age and feeling sexy are independent from one another. Sitting alongside a slew of lingerie-clad models, Moore stunned in black fishnet stockings.
Willow Smith, age 19, looked just as powerful when she took the runway. Smith took some notes from Rihanna when she said that lingerie and the clothing she chooses to wear is her expression of personal evolution. “I always want my art and my fashion to be where I express that evolution,” she said.
Lizzo, who has been infamously criticized for her weight, looked undeniably savage in her blue lingerie. The singer looked in the mirror confidently while she danced, proving that weight is another factor Rihanna does not consider when defining what it means to be savage.
Of course, the show did not stray too far from Rihanna’s musical roots. Roddy Rich, Rosalia, Dj Mustard, Miguel and Travis Scott were among the artists who offered live musical performances for the show.
If there is anything to be taken from Rihanna’s show, it’s that “sexuality is your own divine inner power, whether it’s finding it, sharing it or being it.”
