Rihanna’s New Savage x Fenty Pride Collection Features Famous LGBTQ+ Faces
Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty is back with a new collection honoring the LGBTQ+ community. In an effort to celebrate Pride Month 2022, the lingerie brand has launched its second Pride Month capsule Savage x Pride featuring familiar faces from the LGBTQ+ community including Fire Island‘s Tomás Matos, Honey Balenciaga, Shaheem Anderson, Xoài Phan, and Armiel Chandler.
“Authenticity and celebration of self-expression are all things that Savage X Fenty represents every day of the year,” Rihanna, who is now a first-time mother, told Out in a statement. “So, I’m excited to continue that support of the LGBTQIA+ community with our second Pride campaign and collection.”
The June Pride capsule collection offers both men’s and women’s lingerie and loungewear designs. The accent is put on vibrant hues and prints as an ode to the LGBTQ+ flag and as a celebration of the diversity and vibrancy of the community. The new line includes the brand’s signature Forever Savage and Tagged by Savage silhouettes. The Show Your Colors and Carnival ranges are also included in the June Pride capsule collection. You’ll find extravagant pieces such as mesh lingerie and playsuits appended with rhinestones, as well as bright color basics for everyday wear.
This year’s Pride-themed collection is the second capsule to be released in honor of Pride Month, with last year’s Savage X Fenty collection being the first. “Pride is all about appreciating your authentic self,” Rihanna told ELLE back in 2021. “I am very excited about this collection and showing love and support to the LGBTQIA+ community, which includes so many of our customers, team members, and fans.”
Digital creator Armiel Chandler, who is also featured in the Savage x Fenty campaign, told Girls United about how the opportunity came about. On a regular day of content creation, Chandler, who is known as “Army” on socials, received an email from the lingerie brand and was immediately met with shock and excitement.
“At first, I thought it was fake because this was my dream brand I’ve been wanting to work with for some time and had them on my manifestation board,” Chandler admitted. “Next thing I know within the course of 2 days, I was flewed out and shooting their second Pride collection. For it to be 8 of us handpicked in different fields in the industry and me being amongst so many icons I honor and respect was so dope.”
Chandler told Girls United that he originally sought out to create content, not for compensation or fame, but to demonstrate proper representation for big and tall men who can also have a career in fashion. Rather than seek a seat at the table, he built his own and Savage x Fenty even invited him to theirs.
“Being someone who is big and tall a lot of the time there’s not a lot of representation. Being the only plus-size guy I felt like not only did I represent the Black queer plus-size folks, [but] I also represented a whole community of people who may have felt unseen because of their size,” Chandler exclusively told Girls United about how Rihanna’s diversity and inclusion efforts help you to feel seen as a queer Black man. “Being big is just a fracture of who you are and my goal was always to remind people to love themself, embrace their bodies and be confident.”
Just like last year, Savage X Fenty has partnered with organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community. The brand announced it will make a $250,000 donation from its June Pride capsule collection that will be distributed to five organizations in partnership with the Clara Lionel Foundation. The organizations being supported include The Audre Lorde Project, The Caribbean Equality Project, INC., GLAAD, Trans Latin@ Coalition & Trans Wellness Center. Furthermore, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) nonprofit will make a donation to For The Gworls.
“For The Gworls is a Black, transgender-led mutual aid collective that provides Black transgender people with assistance with their rent, their affirmative surgeries, as well as doctors’ and therapy visit copays. We are thankful for Savage X Fenty’s x CLF’s support in our efforts to ensure Black transgender people have access to these necessities,” read the organization’s statement to Out.
The news comes as Savage X Fenty recently celebrated its 4th year anniversary. “Our fearless Founder, @badgalriri, envisioned a line where everyBODY could feel confident & sexy,” wrote the brand on Instagram. “And in 4 short years, we’ve Xpanded beyond our wildest wild thoughts. But don’t get it twisted. This really is just the beginning…”
Chandler added, “I think it’s important to celebrate LGBTQIA+ representation in fashion and beauty because pride month is much more because someone still believes they can’t authentically live in their truth. People being able to see representation ends a cycle and inspires people to live their life without fear of judgment.”
The Savage x Pride capsule collection is priced from $16.95 to $69.95, available now to shop online.
*Additional reporting by Associate Editor D’Shonda Brown**
Photo Credit: Savage x Fenty