After her wildly successful Savage x Fenty lingerie-themed fashion show last year, superstar singer and fashion icon Rihanna was all set to do it again this year. But like all well-laid plans, 2020 had other ideas. But RiRi being RiRi, she decided to overcome the obstacles and figure out a way to do it this year anyway, and now she’s revealing how she pulled off shooting the concert-catwalk event.“Whether it was rehearsals or meetings for the creative, dancers, and models, everything had to be done virtually,” she told
Vogue. “There are a lot of moving parts, and we wanted to make sure everyone was healthy first and foremost. With the global pandemic, it’s tough, but we’re tough cookies, and we love a challenge!”
RELATED: The most epic looks from the SAVAGE X FENTY Fashion Show Vol. 2Featuring performances from Travis Scott, Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, Miguel, Mustard and Roddy Ricch, and special appearances by Lizzo, Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Demi Moore, Irina Shayk, Laura Harrier, Normani, Paloma Elsesser, Paris Hilton, Rico Nasty, Willow Smith, the lingerie-themed fashion show/concert involves multiple sets, and dance sequences. Rihanna launched the event in 2018 and it was filmed in front of crowds of screaming fans.[video_embed id='1493100']RELATED: Rihanna shares advice for her younger self[/video_embed]“I want to have my hands physically on everything,” she explained, noting that that’s how she did it last year, “and now it’s all being sent by email, pictures, and video, so it’s different. It’s kind of annoying for a control freak like me!” Welcome to the shift to Zoom and Facetime, RiRi! It’s the new normal.Speaking to
PEOPLE, Rihanna also proudly spoke about her vision of an inclusive brand that let’s everybody, ahem, stand under her umbrella. “Inclusivity has always been a part of our brand. That’s not a 'right now' thing. It's sad that it’s right now for most brands,″ she explained. ″But that's always been who I am. It's always been how I operate with everything I've done creatively, whether it's makeup or lingerie. I get really excited to see people be a part of my brand. It’s not like I went into it thinking, 'Let's make a movement.' I feel great that there are women that are feeling like they see themselves on the stage for the first time. And if we can continue to expand on that, we’ve done more than we really started out trying to do."She also spoke about how, during these unprecedented times, people need a little pick-me-up from the constant pain in the news cycle. Speaking to the
Associated Press, she said, “There's a lot going on in the world right now and I relate to all of it. People need a little bit of hope, they need a little bit of happiness, and if we can bring a smile to their face and a little bit of fun while they're stuck at home, it's a desire and an honour to be a part of that.”If the novel coronavirus cannot stop her vision, it can’t stop her show. ″We had to work around the challenges of COVID-19, keeping everyone safe and their health at the top of our list. It forced us to figure out new ways to produce a show. We had to figure out ways to make this feel as visually enthusiastic as possible. I’m excited, and I’m proud of my team — we pulled it off,” she told PEOPLE.Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show will stream Friday, October 2
nd on Amazon Prime Video.[video_embed id='2046784']RELATED: Disney casts Canadian Iman Vellani as ‘Ms. Marvel’[/video_embed]
