Rihanna’s First Fenty Drop Of The Decade Is All About Freedom

At the end of last year, Rihanna’s Fenty drops took on singular focuses: from Cameo jewellery to collaborations with ASAI. For 2020, the artistic director is finessing the brand’s functional daywear. Release 2-20 “fuses punk military styles with sports luxe, encouraging free thinking and free movement,” according to the collection notes.

In practice, this utilitarian edit means classic trench coat-cum-military parkas in camo and burnt-orange; dark denim jackets blended with bombers; mint-green windbreakers made luxurious with satin collars; and easy tracksuits in soft ribbed knits (expect to see these elevated sweats on Rih in JFK soon).

The poloneck sweatshirts in grass-green and mustard are a literal representation of Fenty’s mission to help “you move through life at your own top speed”, with speedometers printed on the back. A new Fenty logo, inspired by video-game animations, is printed on the front.

Rihanna’s favourite product is the Parachute boot, which is about as outdoorsy as the amped-up anoraks. The innovative crinkly fabric of the shoe means that it can be pushed down to ankle height or pulled up to mid-calf level. Could these be the new Instagram-breaking corset boot? You heard it here first.

Elsewhere on the accessories front, sunglasses, naturally, have been souped up. Rainbow plexi Side Note shades will join the tiny Trouble specs all over Rihanna’s feed. The new graphic frames are best worn with heavy, crystal-laced hoop earrings and pear-shaped diamanté ear cuffs, as per the styling of campaign creative director Jahleel Weaver – the man also behind RiRi’s outfit choices.

The casting was paramount to embodying the free-spirited messaging behind Release 2-20. London-based photographer Thurstan Redding captured activist Amy Sall, trans model Kai-Isaiah Jamal, multimedia journalist Alexandra Genova, and Amrit, who used to lived on the streets until recently, in the stripped-back imagery. Rihanna herself will be at Bergdorf Goodman, New York – where the collection will be stocked exclusively from 3 February – on the evening of 7 February to talk through her inspirations in person. Stay tuned to see how the ultimate influencer styles those Parachute boots.