Ning Jinyi, Shuping Li in 'Winter Snow' by Wang Lei for ELLE China February 2022

Ning Jinyi, Shuping Li in 'Winter Snow' by Wang Lei for ELLE China February 2022 AOC Fashion

Models Ning Jinyi and Shuping Li enjoy ‘Winter Snow’, styled by Frankie Zheng. Photographers Wang Lei and Jiang Kun [IG] are behind the lens for ELLE China February 2022.

Hailey Bieber for Miu Miu SS 2022 Campaign by Tyrone Lebon

Hailey Bieber for Miu Miu SS 2022 Campaign by Tyrone Lebon AOC Fashion

Photographer Tyrone Lebon [IG] shot MiuMiu’s SS 2022 Campaign featuring models and talents Alex Bouthors, Emma Corrin, Ever Gabo Anderson, Hailey Bieber, Lee You-Mi and Mame Bineta Sane. Lotta Volkova styled the campaign with creative direction by Lina Kutsovskaya. Poppy Bartlett did the set design.

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.

Naomi Osaka Says She's Not God, Could Drop to 84 in Rankings After Australian Open

Naomi Osaka was overflowing with sass this week, heading into the Australian Open, after her early withdrawal from the warmup tournament Melbourne Summer Set 1. Osaka has said that her primary goal in 2022 is to have fun and never cry again in front of the press.

Losing her third round match Friday night to the promising 20-year-old, 60th-ranked American Amanda Anisimova, Osaka was disappointed but also looking on the bright side of things.

Osaka: “I’m Not God. I can’t win every match, you know.”

“I fought for every point; I can’t be sad about that,” Osaka said. “You know, like, I’m not God. I can’t win every match, you know. So I just have to take that into account and know that it would be nice to win the tournament, but that’s, like, really special.”

Having fun was also important to Anisimova, who said that by the third set against Osaka, she was no loner nervous.

“I love playing in these high-pressure moments, and I think it’s really fun to play in Melbourne in front of a crowd like that. So I was just trying to enjoy every moment really. I kept reminding myself, ‘I’m at a Grand Slam playing against Naomi Osaka, just try to enjoy it, because it’ll be over soon.’”

Naomi Osaka, the defending champion of the Australian Open lit up digital space earlier in the week, saying that she has proved herself enough and that she doesn't give a f--- anymore about those who have something negative to say about her.

Osaka responded directly to a fan who wrote on Instagram: "Enter every match in this tournament like you have something to prove.” It’s not clear that the remark was so snarky or disrespectful, but Osaka fired back:

"Respectfully I don't have anything to prove," Osaka said. "Before my first slam I was told I had potential but probably not gonna capitalize on it. After my first slam I was told I got lucky and I was a one-hit wonder.

After my second Slam I was told I could be great but I was unsure. After my third and fourth slams I was told I will only be good on hard courts. Moral of the story - people are always gonna have something to say and idgaf [I don't give a f***] anymore."

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.