Rihanna is restoring faith in the fashion industry, by using plus size mannequins in new Savage X Fenty store
After all the times you’ve been shopping throughout your life, how many times have you seen a plus size, or curvy mannequin modelling the clothes? If you’re like me, I’d imagine you’d say either none, or very few times. However, Savage X Fenty, Rihanna’s lingerie brand remains breaking boundaries.
With the glowy hues reflecting upon their wall of diverse mannequins, that can be seen in the store, Rihanna is quite literally shining light upon inclusivity in fashion.
Photo via @savagexfenty on Instagram
After opening their first physical store in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 24th, they have included plus size mannequins which is a huge move in an often exclusive industry.
Rihanna started up the now billion-dollar company, back in 2018. From the get-go, Rihanna made sure to include a range of diverse models from all different shapes and sizes, ethnicities and backgrounds. She’s often made headlines throughout the past few years due to her inclusive approach, as unfortunately, this is still a rare sight in the fashion industry.
Image via @savagexfenty on Instagram
At a 2019 Savage X Fenty fashion show, Rihanna expressed how important inclusion is to her brand ethos: “I want women to feel confident no matter what size they are, no matter what shade of nude they are.”
‘Rihanna Talks Empowerment, Inclusion at Savage X Fenty Lingerie Show’ via Youtube
According to studies by The Mental Health Foundation in 2019, one third of adults in the UK have felt anxious or depressed due to their body image concerns. The foundation states that some of the ways body issues can occur is through: ‘exposure to images of idealised or unrealistic bodies through media or social media’ and ‘pressure to look a certain way or to match an ideal body type’ - both of which have been propelled by under representation of body types in fashion.
Image via Mental Health Foundation
Studies done by Florida State University have proven that plus size models improve mental health. During the study, several women were shown images of different models, and their heart rates indicated that the highest body satisfaction and least social comparison was shown when they viewed plus size models.
Savage X Fenty’s representation now shifting to real life stores as well as online has excited many, including mid-size content creator Olivia Grace.
Photos via @livv.grace on Instagram
21 year old Olivia, is a Savage X Fenty ambassador, promoting their products via her Instagram account with over 19k followers. She has worked with the brand for around a year, creating monthly content with them. She expresses her love of being able to work with a company who cares so much about representing such a wide range of people.
“It makes me so happy, and I feel really lucky to work with one of the most inclusive brands around!”
Like many, in the past she has had struggles of shopping for underwear, however with Savage X Fenty’s range of sizes, she’s been able to overcome this issue.
“It’s inspiring and makes you feel good when you go to shop for a bra and see it on bigger boobs for once. Shopping for bras when you already have bigger boobs is already difficult, but Fenty make it that much easier.”
She also shared how important of a move it is to start representing different sizes and figures through mannequins.
“I remember when I first saw a curvier mannequin at the Nike store in Oxford Street and I was in awe. It’s so refreshing to see a realistic body representation rather than a size eight.”
Photo via @nikesportswear on Instagram
28 year old Freelance fashion designer and creative director, Daisy Deane, says how many brands don’t cater for bigger sizes, basing most sample sizes stylists used for shoots, around a size six or eight.
Photo via @daisydeane on Instagram
“It can make things a bit harder if you’re working with someone who’s not sample size, who might even be plus size, and you know a collection might not go up to plus size in stores.”
Not only has the issue affected her clients, but also her personally.
“I’ve tried to squeeze into sample sizes before […] and when you can’t even do it up over one leg, you’re just like, how must people feel that are trying to put these on every day?”
However, she does feel brands showing better representation, particularly with Savage X Fenty’s plus size mannequins, is a step in the right direction.
“If I was in Selfridges or Marks and Spencers, and there’s a plus size mannequin it would make me feel a lot better about myself.”
Photo via @savagexfenty on Instagram
Although showcasing lingerie on curvy mannequins may seem like a small change, it is a huge step. We can only hope, if future generations are ever asked ‘how often do you see a plus size mannequin modelling your clothes?’ Their answers will be very different from how ours are now.