Every year around this time, the lingerie firm Victoria's Secret began to leak almost daily news about its media parade: the models, the jeweled bra, the makeup, the guest artists... But this fall, for the second consecutive year, the angels will not display their at. The literal and metaphorical witness is picked up by Rihanna, who has copied (and updated) some of her practices. The runway show for her underwear brand Savage X Fenty will take place on Friday and will be streamed for 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers worldwide. It will feature performances by Rosalía, Travis Scott, Bad Bunny or Lizzo and the presence on the catwalk of Demi Moore, Irina Shayk, Bella Hadid or Cara Delevingne.

While Victoria's Secret falls apart in a loop that would make for a good soap opera script, the Barbadian artist proposes a diverse and inclusive show in which the idea of ​​what is sexy is defined by women. The model Bella Hadid, who has walked for both brands, summed it up very well a few months ago in a conversation with Loïc Prigent: "I've never felt as sexy as when I walked for Rihanna," she said. The difference? At Victoria's Secret Ed Razek, the creator of the 'angel' concept, whispered in her ear what postures to adopt when walking the runway (throw kisses, wink or make a heart with her hands), but the singer simply asked him to do what to help you feel sexy. A subtle tectonic change that involves evolving from the woman object to the woman subject, without ever forgetting that deep down everything is about selling underwear.

The Victoria's Secret parade, which held its last edition in 2018, infantilized women and made them a fetish for the male audience. Photo: Getty Images

The problem comes from the root. From the very conception: Victoria's Secret was founded in the 1970s by a man, Roy Raymond, with the idea of ​​creating a space where men could buy lingerie for their wives and lovers without feeling intimidated. That culture is still implanted in the company, with a majority of male leaders, although they have tried to soften it by covering it with glitter and messages of empowerment from those who like the patriarchy. The last parade, in 2018 just a year after the #MeToo movement broke out, smelled like mothballs. Although she impregnates everything, that outdated look towards feminine sensuality is just one of the many problems of the firm owned by the conglomerate L Brands, which has already hung a 'for sale' sign that nobody is interested in.

The accusations of harassment and very murky relations between its honorary president, Les Wexner, and Jeffrey Epstein are another vertex that is less controversial. Razek himself, sculptor of angels, was forced to resign a year ago, months after a disastrous interview in Vogue in which he defended that his show would never have neither plus sizes nor transsexuals, for example. He adds and continues. To all this are added the annihilating effects of the pandemic, which has shaken hard a label that is especially dependent on brick. Their flagship location in Manhattan alone, on Broadway next to Macy's department store, gives them a monthly rent bill of almost a million dollars. And no longer rent. The more than three million visitors who got lost each year in the pink corridors of the premises are now confined, unable to travel or fearful of the pessimistic prospects. In the second quarter of 2020, its sales were cut by 39%.

In the Savage X Fenty show, the body is not a showcase, but rather serves as a tool for Parris Goebel's choreography. Photo: Getty Images

Although the push up passed to a better life, women have not burned the bra. The lingerie market is expected to reach €280 billion by 2025 according to Edited. “Of course, garments that have transparencies or strategically placed strips continue to seem more sensual to us, but that voluptuousness of a few years ago is no longer sought, but rather a woman (with or without curves) stands out, natural, close and sure of herself. herself”, says Carlotta Jurado, the creator of the firm Made in Spain Serendipity.

A new representation of the sensuality that Rihanna has made her own on her label, with the same ease with which she has turned her personal brand into a very prosperous business. In 2017 she revolutionized the beauty sector with LVMH with a makeup line with 40 shades. In 2018, it launched into the lingerie sector, with Savage X Fenty, a joint venture with TechStyle that has raised 70 million in a couple of financing rounds and already exceeds 150 million dollars in annual turnover. In 2019, her clothing collection arrived, also together with LVMH and with the congratulations of designers such as Maria Grazia Chiuri or Simon Porte Jacquemus. This year she ventures into men's underwear with Christian Combs.

Different divisions but all based on a powerful idea: acceptance. Beauty in 2020 is not about molding yourself to fit the canon, but about applauding differences. An inclusive concept that Rihanna finds credible. In last year's parade it was visually translated into models of all races, with large and small sizes, with more or less chest, cellulite, stretch marks, shaved heads, prosthetics, trans women... With more than 87 million followers on Instagram and direct access to all kinds of artists, the singer and entrepreneur also adopted her know-how to turn the show into the show with the most impact of New York Fashion Week. Friday's will follow the same premises: "Everything that is happening around us is very hard and has a global dimension," he confessed on Wednesday on WWD, "naturally people need a little relief, even for a moment."

Focused on digital, Savage X Fenty has not suffered as much as its competitors in the months of confinement: in April, the worst month for the sector, Victoria's Secret sales fell by 63%; those of Rihanna's lingerie grew 218%. Still, it's not all glitter in heaven: TechStyle's subscription system racks up negative feedback from customers who don't understand why they're being charged money (its subsidiary Fabletics was labeled a 'scam' a few years ago) and the various divisions don't end up to get along The lingerie is offered at a low-medium price, while the Fenty fashion line is luxury. The discrepancy of objectives, without distinction of brand, can create conflicts when both seek to expand without overlapping. Although at the moment the only thing that worries Rihanna is to continue sharing her vision with the whole world. After the parade, of course, the garments will be available for purchase online and will reach their fans in a few days. Her maxim right now is clear: "I think people want to continue feeling sexy, even if it's at home."