Rihanna Unleashes Savage X Fenty Lingerie Valentine's Day 2022 with Lourdes Leon

Rihanna Unleashes Savage X Fenty Lingerie Valentine's Day 2022 with Lourdes Leon AOC Fashion

Superstar talent Rihanna amps up the sexual heat with her “Bring the heat this Valentine’s Day and you’ll be the treat.” The lingerie and beauty mogul combines her two business into a single Valentine’s Day 2022 campaign for the first time. lensed by Dennis Leupold.

The megastar is joined by models including Lourdes Leon, Quannah Chasinghorse, Tess McMillan, and more with a clear message to she, he and they, who wear the Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty brand: ‘Slip Into Som’m Sexy To: You From: You.

As Victoria’s Secret continues to revamp its marketing, toning down the male gaze vision that came to dominate the brand, there remains a critical difference between the VS and Savage X Fenty approach. The VS Collective remains a third-party talking about their problems and issues in a way for all women to understand. But the models remain the message and the focus.

Message From Black Women: I’m Talkin’ to YOU

Rihanna takes a different approach from the lady bikers to her ‘Slip Into Som’m Sexy’ message. It’s the same ‘I’m Talkin’ to YOU’ message I referenced in my comments about the new British Vogue nine African women cover and inside fashion story.

The message is 1) I’m talkin’ to YOU, dear reader, SM follower; wannabe like me. 2) Are you listening? Because you can’t become this she, he, they lingerie lover, if you don’t hear me.

Get out of your comfort zone and fly. Goddess knows I had to learn this life lesson as a Black woman. So RISE, girl. Enough with all this self-doubting, crowd-pleasing anxiety.

This was the original Victoria’s Secret direct-to-women message, one that I worked very hard to craft. We were leaders in that self-empowerment drive — and around the trickiest subject of all: sexuality and typically female-identifying sexuality.

As Rih says: “Keep it in the fam.”

Backed by Bernard Arnault via the $115 million series B round of financing led by LVMH-backed private equity firm L Catterton to help the lingerie brand scale up, the Savage X Fenty lingerie brand is ready to rumble.

Savage X Fenty Stores

Rihanna just announced the first five inaugural store locations in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington DC. The Vegas store will provide fans with a direct-to-consumer shopping experience that’s billed by the Savage X Fenty team as the “next step” in the brand’s aim of providing a “fuller expression” to its clientele.

OMG! Rihanna Says ‘Keep It in the Fam!’

My mind is now on fire. Rhanna’s “keep it in the fam” comment and the Catterton investment, plus writing about Virgil Abloh last night, the most brilliant idea popped into my mind.

Sorry, Kanye. You’re not going to Louis Vuitton Men, and please don’t have a breakdown.

Among the options to replace the beloved Virgil Abloh is the concept of a curator in charge of Louis Vuitton Men — as no one can follow in Virgil Abloh’s steps. Let Virgil Abloh live on in 3-D. Keep him alive and deeply embedded in the brand’s DNA.

The talent I mentioned in my earlier post ARE three of the perhaps five names on the list. So Anne is already swinging the bat quite well, win or lose.

BUT, if Louis Vuitton wanted to be truly daring, they would put Rihanna as the curator in charge of Louis Vuitton Men. They would ‘Keep It in the Fam!”

Working on the collections a la Moncler with all the creative talent she knows and LVMH knows, she can develop a huge rival to Victoria’s Secret at the same time in the Savage X Fenty business. AND, unlike some of the names mentioned, Rihanna can easily become an ‘ambassador’ for Virgil Abloh’s memory. Her own me-me-me halo doesn’t need burnishing.

Kanye West is too “I, I, I, I, I should have had the Vuitton Men’s job in the first place” to EVER promote Virgil Abloh’s memory and values. Forget Kanye West being up to his eyeballs in Republican scum politics. Kanye thinks he’s God.

Rihanna Is Virgil Abloh’s Ubuntu Goddess

Rihanna — on the other hand — knows she’s a goddess and is perfectly situated to advance Virgil’s thinking and vision. And she’s got her own thing goin’ on — already backed by LVMH — and Bernard Arnault loves her.

If he didn’t think she had tremendous talent and promise as a merchant, he wouldn’t have invested $115 million in Savage X Fenty via L Catterton.

Bernard Arnault is dying to take on Victoria’s Secret with Rihanna. Seriously! This move would give her a reach far beyond these first five stores. CONSTANT engagement with activism and young talent, a halo that can bring new customers to Savage X Fenty.

Yes, Anne is ALWAYS thinking out of the box. I LIKE this new box that just popped into my mind. If such a hair-brained option ever happened, you know who expressed the idea first. Suddenly my other three options sound perfectly reasonable. But this one??

Woah! Even I’m impressed. But it’s so LOGICAL. It’s rational.

Related: EXCLUSIVE: Louis Vuitton CEO Talks Final Virgil Abloh Collection, Succession Plans WWD

Like I keep sayin’ “You better buckle up, VS. These people are coming for you. And I still don’t think you have a plan figured out. Nor do I think the VS Collective is the answer to your problems, but I love all those women. Don’t get me wrong. And, for the record, that new store design looks like Kohl’s. But I do want you to succeed. Make no mistake. I want you to succeed.” ~ Anne

Alisha Boe in 'California Dream' by Hugh Lippe for Vogue Scandinavia January 2022

Alisha Boe in 'California Dream' by Hugh Lippe for Vogue Scandinavia January 2022 AOC Fashion

Norwegian and American actor Alisha Boe graces the pages of Vogue Scandinavia’s January 2022 issue. Boe was born in Oslo, Norway, to a Somali father and a Norwegian mother, and she moved to Los Angeles at age seven, growing up with her mom and new step-father. Boe is known for portraying Jessica Davis in the Netflix original series ‘13 Reasons Why’.

Keegan Singh styles Boe in ‘California Dream’, lensed by Hugh Lippe [IG]. / Hair by Sheridan Ward; makeup by Ozzy Salvatierra

Sustainable, Sexy Cloos x Elsa Eyewear Campaign Lensed by Zoey Grossman

Sustainable, Sexy Cloos x Elsa Eyewear Campaign Lensed by Zoey Grossman AOC Fashion

Scott Trindle Captures 'Glam Rocks' Spring 2022 Accessories for British Vogue February

Scott Trindle Captures 'Glam Rocks' Spring 2022 Accessories for British Vogue February AOC Fashion

Models Dorrit Li, Laura Reyes and Raynara Negrine showcase bold accessories in ‘Glam Rocks’, lensed by Scott Trindle [IG] for British Vogue February 2022./ Hair by Syd Hayes; makeup by Hiromi Ueda

Janet Jumbo's Cozy Fashion Getaway by Jackie Nickerson Numéro France

Janet Jumbo's Cozy Fashion Getaway by Jackie Nickerson Numéro France AOC Fashion

Model Janet Jumbo is styled by David Bradshaw in ‘Échappée Belle’, a warm and cozy, elegant fashion getaway lensed by Jackie Nickerson [IG] for Numéro France December 2021/January 2022.

Lara Jade Flashes Roos Abels and Cartier's Sixieme Sens Collection for Modern Luxury

Lara Jade Flashes Roos Abels and Cartier's Sixieme Sens Collection for Modern Luxury AOC Modern

Model Roos Abels travels to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to showcase Cartier’s Sixieme Sens jewelry collection against the Western sky. Sixieme Sens reimagines Cartier’s iconic house designs by combining precious 1,000-year-old stones. The collection in total embraces unusual geometric ornamentations, contrasting textures, and other visual patterns that exhibit optical illusions.

Stylist Faye Vande Vrede chooses Jackson Hole-ready outerwear, knits, and dresses from Erdem, Etro, Ralph Lauren and more as a fashion backdrop for a Cartier collection that is sublime beauty. Photographer Lara Jade [IG] captures the style majesty for Modern Luxury Magazine./ Hair by Walton Nunez; makeup by Georgina Billington

Gabriel Moses Captures Cultural Identity Fashion for Dazed Magazine

Gabriel Moses Captures Cultural Identity Fashion for Dazed Magazine AOC Magazine

Dazed Magazine posted online in December 2021 ‘Under the Skin’, styled by Marika-Ella Ames. Models Baba Chogwu, Goy Manase, Mayor Dutie and Nyaueth Riam are lensed by Gabriel Moses [IG]./ Hair by Ali Pirzadeh; hair by Ali Pirzadeh

The Dazed text by Liam Hess introducers readers to five rising creatives — a “new guard of young designers interrogating cultural identity.”

Across the UK, a new guard of designers is drawing on global influences to ask how we can use our pasts – whether cultural heritage, personal histories, or intergenerational trauma and healing – to forge a new path to the future that ricochets between the boundaries of sexuality, gender, race, and nationality.

The young designers featured at Dazed are Cameron Williams, Chloe Nardin, Fidan Novruzova, Gui Rosa, and Roisin Pierce.

Luc Braquet Captures Selma Hadziosmanovic in 'Sensuals Bijoux' for PalaceScope

Luc Braquet Captures Selma Hadziosmanovic in 'Sensuals Bijoux' for PalaceScope AOC Fashion

PalaceScope was launched in 2019 as a bimonthly, free magazine for luxury-loving appetites. The magazine and website are dedicated to Paris, highlighting “creators and innovations, those who make fashions and create trends. Anything that electrifies the city.”

Photographer Luc Braquet [IG] creates a high jewelry fashion story ‘Sensuals Bijoux’, with the captivating model Selma Hadziosmanovic. “She has this timeless beauty, this strength that touches me. I try to put the model's personality first and foremost through my images,” explains the photographer, who began his career as a portrait painter.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh

For more info about the scholarship fund and some of Virgil’s students, read The Cut’s article published after his passing, in December 2021.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh, to Support The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund AOC Art of Living

Sotheby's is proud to present The Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh, a special global online auction of the highly coveted Nike x Louis Vuitton “Air Force 1" sold to benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, an organization that aims to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.

The auction marks the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. Prior to his passing on 28 November 2021, the Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director was involved in the early organization of the auction and its surrounding events. The auction will take place in association with his family.

Each pair will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case in orange Taurillon Monogram Leather (exclusive to this auction), which was likewise featured in the collection.

Starting from the launch of the auction, the shoes and the pilot case will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit free of charge, and can make an appointment to do so through our reservation page.

A total of 200 pairs of the Nike “Air Force 1” – originally created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Men’s Collection – is being made available in an exclusive colorway and a range of sizes.