While Rihanna hasn’t released new music since her last studio album, Anti, in 2016, she’s been busy with other ventures. After a decade in the music industry, Rihanna made a name for herself in cosmetics with Fenty Beauty in 2017. Known for its all-inclusive products, Fenty Beauty sets new standards for makeup as soon as it hit the shelves. 

Proving to be a natural businesswoman, Rihanna announced her partnership with LVMH, a fashion group that works with Louis Vuitton and Dior, launching her luxury fashion brand, Fenty, in 2018. She released the Savage x Fenty underwear collection that same year, and on Oct. 2, she debuted the second volume via an Amazon Prime show. 

Savage x Fenty Vol. II is anything but your traditional fashion show. For starters, it’s 57 minutes; there isn’t a runway; and, of the countless cameos, only a handful were from high fashion models. A testament to her brand, the special featured men and women of all shapes, sizes, skin colors, ages and abilities.  

While plus-sized female models have made great strides in the fashion industry recently, the same cannot be said for plus-sized men. However, Fenty is making news for including Steven G, a size 2XL, in the show. Steven G told theguardian.com, that when he was offered the job, he “contacted [his] agent a few times to verify they’d actually seen [him].”

The special was reminiscent of Homecoming, a documentary about Beyonce’s Coachella performance and all of her preparation. Rihanna’s show itself was offset by clips from the line’s creative stages and one-on-ones with Rihanna, the models and her team. Some important topics covered during these interviews were the use of fashion and makeup to embody your mood or the different sides of your personality and dressing to fulfill your own fantasy, not someone else’s. 

The show centers around dance routines and movement, so poor fabric choices and sloppy construction simply wouldn’t have held up. Luckily, Savage x Fenty is known for flirty yet functional pieces, so execution wasn’t an issue. 

Some of our favorite looks were Bella Hadid’s black lace set with latex gloves, thigh-highs and silver accents, as well as the matching lavender bra and bottoms covered with glitter and flower decals. 

While we could’ve done without the nipple pasties and the electric blue bustier with clear vinyl sections from a taste standpoint, Rihanna’s vision is clear in every outfit. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the styling. The petal eyelashes and Rihanna’s box braids were both impeccable, but the headbands found at the beginning of the show dated the looks and some of the wigs were so messy that they took away from the clean lines of the undergarments. 

Although we, along with many others, praise this show for its inclusivity, there was controversy regarding the misuse of Islamic music. The song, “Doom,” by Coucou Chloe, includes verses from a sacred Islamic prayer text known as the Hadith, the presumed spoken words of the Prophet Mohammed. Social media users accused Rihanna of cultural appropriation and insensitivity. The artist took to her Instagram, @badgirlriri, to apologize, calling it an “honest, yet careless mistake.”

Despite its atypical approach, Savage x Fenty Vol. II only increased our appreciation and love for Rihanna, something we didn’t know was possible. Fenty’s emphasis on elegant and inclusive pieces and models remains unmatched, and for the sake of viewers and customers, we’re hoping for many more volumes to come.