Rihanna's wildly successful lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, took the stage once again with its third annual burlesque-meets-runway show, Savage X Fenty Vol. 3.
Like Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the extravaganza premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime. In the lead-up to the premiere, the Bad Gal herself revealed a full trailer for the show, giving fans a peek at what to expect from Savage X Fenty's upcoming season — as well as a roster of the celebs set to model and perform.
What wasn't revealed in the trailer, though, is that this year's Savage X Fenty show interspersed catwalk and dance performances with "mini films" directed by filmmaker Scott Weintrob, the founder of Los Angeles-based creative studio Large Eyes.
Speaking with Weintrob over the phone, Rihanna's hand in the creative direction of Savage X Fenty becomes clear.
"All the people that are in the show are there because she wanted them to be in the show," Weintrob says, emphasizing Rihanna's front-seat leadership of the brand. "When people work with Rihanna, they bring it. They turn up."
As for working with Rih herself? "Outrageously wonderful, outrageously cool," Weintrob says, specifying that the star had prepared reference images for the show's creative direction before he even signed onto the project. "Michael Mann was a reference...kind of like an LA nighttime, sweaty vibe with vibrant colors."
"Rihanna is an incredibly kind and creative person," Weintrob concludes. "She has a very, very clear vision."
And the show certainly had a vision. Top-tier models including Gigi Hadid, Cindy Crawford, and Emily Ratajkowski served on the catwalk, and Troye Sivan, Ricky Martin, Normani, and Nas delivered show-stopping musical performances.
The extravaganza was filmed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, a Los Angeles landmark that was lit up with technicolor neons for Rihanna's takeover. The hotel's glass elevators were transformed into satiny beds, on which A-list talent flaunted Savage X Fenty's latest wares.
There's never a dull moment when it comes to Rihanna, and Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 lived up to the hype.
