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"To be able to connect with our customers in real life was so important to me," says the singer, whose line markets to diverse body types.
A line full of eager shoppers flooded into the Westfield Mall in Culver City on Super Bowl 2022 weekend in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 12, lining up for the grand opening of Rihanna’s second brick-and-mortar shop for her lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty. In the store’s glowing entrance stood metallic mannequins shining in Fenty intimates. Inside, customers checked out her cheeky new Valentine’s collection up close.
The kaleidoscopic, neon-colored store feels like a futuristic maze, with each room (with names like Ripple, Logo, Swirl and Evergreen) immersing the shopper into another realm, including a mannequin wall. Pink and red lace intimates in the color scheme of Valentine’s Day are arranged next to darker-toned pieces. Notably, Rihanna’s mannequins present authentic, diverse depictions of human physiques in a way that empowers customers.
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The soon-to-be mom continues to lift expectations of what is considered standard for lingerie lines to be successful. With Savage X Fenty’s marketing featuring men, LGBTQIA+ folks and disabled individuals, Rihanna’s clothing empire is at the helm of where fashion could be in the future. Crafting loungewear, undergarments and intimate apparel that is for everyone, and certainly can be worn by anyone, is making a global impression.
The pop-culture phenomenon herself surprised shoppers who had come to the mall to shop the Savage X Fenty 2022 Valentine’s Day collection. Riri showed up during the evening with A$AP Rocky in a deep-red vinyl robe dramatically draped around her growing belly, greeting fans and customers. “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do and to be able to connect with our customers in real life was so important to me,” Rihanna tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve imagined these stores for so long, and stepping into our L.A. store today was beyond exciting.
A single room in the store has wall-to-ceiling motion graphics of Rihanna that are looped, immersing shoppers in her Savage X Fenty world. The store even offers new AI technology that assists customers in finding perfect-fitting lingerie.
Savage X Fenty collaborated with the ecommerce service Fit:Match to provide state-of-the-art body scanning tools. The Fit Xperience app uses light detection and range sensors to get an accurate 3D scan of customers’ different body types. This helps with locating the most comfortable fit for customers while reducing the risk of returns. Creating her first Savage x Fenty brick-and-mortar establishments, Rihanna prioritized the customer experience with design and technical assists from visual artist Jed Skrzypczak, O’Neil Langan Architects and creative firm PlayLab. The store also incorporate sustainable practices, with biodegradable hangers made of wheat straw and shopping bags made of RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate).
Rihanna’s body-positive and inclusive lingerie line, launched in 2018, will have a total of five official stores in the United States. The Las Vegas location opened in late January with the Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., storefronts’ grand opening dates yet to be announced. All brick-and-mortars are expected to be open by early 2022.
“We want to make people look good and feel good,” Rihanna has said. “We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it.”
View more looks inside the new Savage X Fenty store below:
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