The inaugural FENTY X PUMA collection was pure RiRi – and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Rebel Rebel
Rihanna’s reputation as pop music’s provocateur preceded her when she was appointed as Puma’s Brand Ambassador and Women’s Creative Director. Luckily, her rebellious spirit was not lost in the making of this debut collection. As the runway was transformed into a frozen, industrial forest, the clothing seemingly straddled the two opposing subcultures of urban and gothic. Corsets tucked into sweatpants, crucifixes dangling from crop-tops, thigh-high sneakers boots teamed with voluminous hoodies; Nasir Mazhar might have beaten her to it, but Rihanna hybridised the aesthetic of fashion’s two favourite youth subcultures in a way that was inescapably seductive.
No gender agenda
Rihanna’s personal wardrobe over the years has proved that she’s no stranger to menswear, and it’s clear that same don’t-give-a-shit attitude toward gendered clothing has been applied to this collection. As a flurry of male and female models stomped down the runway, traditional silhouettes were challenged by amorphous hoodies and exaggerated long-sleeve tops. Boys were adorned in furs and velvets, lavish fabrics usually reserved for the other sex, while sheer-clad girls donned typically masculine headwear in the form of baseball caps and du-rags.
Words: Lewis Goodacre