Rihanna Names Normani Savage X Fenty’s First Ambassador As Victoria’s Secret Cancels Show

As the death knell sounded on the Victoria’s Secret show and the airtime of its Angels, another lingerie modelling career was inaugurated. Rihanna announced Normani as Savage X Fenty’s first ambassador within hours of the news from L Brands, Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, that it was axing its signature show format and working on “evolving its messaging”. Social media rejoiced that the US underwear giant’s outdated business model was finally coming to an end, as the number of likes on Normani’s celebratory post rose.

“Normani is the perfect choice for a Savage X ambassador” Rihanna said in a statement. “She exudes confidence and power. Everything she does is executed with passion and the belief she’s going to kill it. That’s why people gravitate towards her.”

The “Motivation” singer reciprocated the admiration for her fellow popstar: “Rihanna is always at the cutting edge and continues to push the boundaries in everything she does,” said Normani. “The way she embraces her sexuality and exudes grace is such an inspiration to me and so many other women around the world. Rihanna and Savage X celebrate and empower women of all shapes, sizes, and colours everywhere – it’s a beautiful thing and is truly revolutionary.”

Normani appeared in Rihanna’s boundary-breaking lingerie show during New York Fashion Week’s autumn/winter 2019 season, which pushed the envelope in terms of how underwear is presented to consumers. Described by RiRi as a “fashion musical”, the multi-layered performance piece, streamed on Amazon Prime, celebrated bodies as “works of art” and empowered viewers through its all-inclusive casting, choreography and unapologetically sassy attitude. It was thrilling to watch and, as creative director Willo Perron said, summed up how “fashion should approach its messaging moving forward”.

Victoria’s Secret, meanwhile, is struggling to work out its place in a market populated by a “woke” audience demanding more from brands. “We will communicate to customers through lots of vehicles including social media and other channels,” L Brands CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer said with regard to company strategy, after pulling the plug on its show following dwindling viewer figures. The lingerie giant has had long enough to grow from its regressive policies and, transphobic remarks made by former marketing chief marketing officer Ed Razek, but still lacks authenticity. While the Fenty empire is resolutely made in the image of Rihanna, a thoroughly progressive, 21st-century mogul – “It’s all me as the muse, it’s all me behind everything,” she has said – there are still questions over whether Victoria’s Secret can find a formula that works for an increasingly clued-up customer whose definition of femininity has inclusivity at its heart.