Savage x Fenty Leads The Lingerie Industry Into A New Era

The Savage x Fenty show during this year’s New York Fashion Week incorporated performances from popular music artists, such as Halsey and Big Sean, choreographed numbers with professional dancers, and models who walked the stage to create an unprecedented piece of fashion performance art. The show was receiving stellar reviews and reactions, but what created the most buzz was the wide range of people onstage. The performers were white, black, disabled, transgender, in drag, plus-sized, slim, and more. Even though every person on stage had a different story, they all had one very important thing in common— confidence.

Brands often aim to sell an idea or a feeling to consumers. Unfortunately, companies within the fashion industry often try to sell the feeling of inferiority, especially to women. It has been well documented that this type of advertising can negatively impact women’s self esteem and even alter how they perceive themselves. Savage x Fenty does the complete opposite of this, which is why it is revolutionary.

The brand, created by singer, entrepreneur and all-around icon Rihanna, focuses primarily on making women feel confident in who they are rather than coercing them into feeling like they should be something they’re not. While Savage x Fenty wasn’t the first to adopt this marketing strategy— brands like Third Love and Aerie have been highly successful in recent years— it was the first to fully bring the body positivity movement into the higher fashion realm. As a result, Savage x Fenty continues to routinely bring up the conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry with every move the brand makes.

One reason Rihanna’s show and brand are highly successful is that they both challenge commonly held notions of what it means to be sexy. In an interview with Vogue, an executive at Victoria’s Secret said that he doesn’t believe transgender people should be featured in the brand’s iconic fashion show because it’s a “fantasy.” It’s perfectly acceptable to create a fantasy, but it shouldn’t exclude so many types of people. Savage x Fenty even constructed a fantasy, however, it isn’t a body type. It’s a woman feeling like her most authentic and sexiest self. In this year’s show, Rihanna invited trans actress and LGBTQ+ activist, Laverne Cox, to walk; without a doubt, she sold the Savage x Fenty fantasy.

Brands embracing inclusivity are proof that businesses do not need to resort to damaging women’s self-image in order to make a profit. This wasn’t the case prior to the last few years. The lingerie industry began experiencing smaller steps forward as early as 2014 when Aerie began their rebranding strategy which included not retouching or photoshopping any of their models. This not only meant that their body proportions wouldn’t be altered, but Aerie also kept the models’ “imperfections” like tattoos, stretch marks, and rolls.

Things truly started to shift as a result of the #MeToo movement. In the fall of 2017, survivors of sexual assault and harassment shared their experiences on Twitter with the hashtag “MeToo” after an initial tweet from actress Alyssa Milano. It quickly became a movement much larger than a Twitter trend, and it has been cited as the catalyst for major social change and awareness within the past two years. Savage x Fenty and Victoria’s Secret, respectively, represent what a successful versus a struggling lingerie company looks like in a society where women are increasingly standing up for themselves.

Victoria’s Secret wasn’t always heavily criticized like it is now. The company’s models in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s were originally quite progressive and were deemed “too fat” by those who worked in the industry. This was around the time Victoria’s Secret was enjoying their heyday and defining much of what was considered sexy. However, the brand has failed to adapt to the post #MeToo era and it’s costing them— literally. Between 2015 and 2018 sales began to noticeably falter for multiple reasons including being slow to pick up on the bralette and sports bra trend. Essentially, the brand’s “fantasy” of thin women in padded push up bras became outdated. A combination of Victoria’s Secret dropping the ball and #MeToo allowed newer and more inclusive brands like Third Love and Savage x Fenty to work their way into the industry with relative ease.

These companies began to market their products on the premise of self-love instead of self-hate— something truly revolutionary. Up until that point, it was a big deal to not photoshop a magazine covergirl, so creating a brand based around self-love was virtually unheard of. They were greeted with much financial success and women flocked to the positive messages of brands like Aerie and Third Love. The appeal is rooted in people wanting to see themselves reflected in the media and marketplace. Brands that embraced the body positivity movement began to hire models of all shapes, sizes and skin tones and started making products to fit that wide range of women.

What immediately made Rihanna’s brand different was its approach to self confidence. Brands like Aerie and Third Love had been marketing a soft, traditionally feminine aesthetic. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, however, it made Savage x Fenty’s dark, neon femme fatale vibe all the more unique. Savage x Fenty actually lies somewhere in between the aesthetics of most inclusive lingerie brands and Victoria’s Secret.

The lingerie industry is in a pivotal place. As more brands like Savage x Fenty are born and others like Aerie rebrand to stay relevant, the question of the movement’s permanence arises. The answer is uncertain; however, Rihanna’s unapologetic approach to inclusivity and female empowerment makes a strong case for the longevity of both the fashion and lingerie industry’s diversification.

This year was not Savage x Fenty’s first show at New York Fashion Week; however, it was the brand’s biggest and boldest statement yet. Her shows are unique for many reasons, but ultimately they are a celebration of womanhood and the duality of the term. The decision to create a piece of performance art instead of conforming to the typical catwalk style show is in line with Rihanna’s tenacity in her music and business endeavours alike; she is trailblazing a highly successful path in the industry that has never existed before.