THE FEEL FREE ARTZ GROUP
Saturday, March 9, 2024
THE 9 FENTY BEAUTY BUYS BEHIND RIHANNA’S VINTAGE GLAM LOOK IN NEW SHORT FILM
The dynamic duo of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have broken the internet again with the release of their short film, titled Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours, where the couple fully leans into the mystique of old Hollywood glamour. Rihanna is seen throughout the film strutting in an embroidered mesh robe from Savage x Fenty, with sparkling diamonds on her neck, wrist and fingers. Her hair fluffed-out in a 1930’s-style hairdo that screamed vintage Hollywood beauty, complete with Betty Boop-style swirled baby hair to match.
As for the makeup, although the actual short film is in black and white, Rihanna plays fully into the understated look of vintage glam, by doing a fairly natural beat and topping it off with a bold lippie. Luckily, we’ve got the drop on every Fenty Beauty product used to create Riri’s short film look so you can recreate it at home.
The glam team prepped Rihanna’s skin and lips with the Thicc N Smooth Rich Peptide Eye Creamand Plush Puddin Intensive Recovery Lip Mask. To create the natural-leaning old Hollywood look, the team started with the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer, Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara, and the Lux Balm Ultra-Hydrating Cherry Lip Balm. This was followed up with Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color to create her bold, statement lip. Moisturizing Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream adds shine to the singer’s skin, while a spritz of Fenty Eau de Parfum – which itself embodies the vintage glam aura of the film – and the Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powderwere the final finishing touches. All of these items can be purchased on the brands website.
For more Rihanna realness, checkout our coverage of A$AP Rocky’s Rihanna-coded jewelry. 
Iced out jewelry has always been a love language amongst celebrity couples – cue Kash Doll’s “Ice Me Out.” From Elizabeth Taylor to Marilyn Monroe, custom jewelry is the most romantic gift dating back to the 1900s. Much like rapper Future’s love of buying women Audemars Piguet‘s, whether you’re actually a couple or not doesn’t even apply. The only rule? The more extravagant, the better. As for Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, it’s clear his love languages are none other than custom jewelry… and Rihanna.
The couple first made waves in 2013 via the iconic “Fashion Killa” music video we all know and love. Just ten years later, they became fashion’s flyest family — debate us — and Rocky’s “D.M.B.” video was just the first step in proving it. The couple is now preparing for their first official, and highly acclaimed collaboration, releasing February 28 for Fenty Skin. Despite elaborate couple’s style, they’ve remained rather hush about their relationship, with the only detail being that she’s the bottom — her words not ours.
PDA jewelry is definitely not a new occurrence. Summer of 2023, aka the summer of Barbie, Ryan Gosling donned an “E” necklace as a nod to his wife Eva Mendes. Ironically, the celebrity couple has also remained rather hush about their relationship. It makes us wonder if PDA jewelry could replace the cute “PDA manicure“ trend for private, but pub lic-facing couples?
As Rihanna shared on the Puma red carpet, their greatest collaborations have already been made — cue their “two bomb ass little boys at home.” But their next could be one for the books. “I don’t think any collaboration is going to top that,” she said. “But I do believe that anything me and Rocky collaborate on is going to be fire.”
What to expect? We don’t have a clue, but while you wait, here are our favorite jewelry collabs from fashion’s flyest couple.
4. Matching “R” rings that fueled wedding rumors
3. Rocky’s 4R birthstone ring upgrade
2. “D.M.B.” trophy ring
1. “Marry Me” grill set
For more sex and dating, dress to impress with these runway-inspired date night outfits.
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON IS THE FACE OF NIKE X JACQUEMUS
There is nothing the internet loves more (and our wallets begrudge) than a Nike x Jacquemusdrop. On February 22, the two brands teased their new joint collection by posting a photo of the “Swoosh” bag which, as the name implies, is a bag in the shape of the iconic Nike logo.
In the photo, the “Swoosh” bag is held by someone with long pink acrylic nails and tattoos, accompanied with a caption urging people to guess who the face of the campaign is. Netizens were in a frenzy, leaving their best guesses in the comments, with many people naming the iconic track and field athlete, Sha’Carri Richardson.
Nike has now answered all questions, unveiling the collection’s campaign images featuring, as the internet correctly guessed, the inimitable Sha’Carri Richardson. Dressed in black and white, Richardson elegantly poses with the black iteration of the bag, letting her tattoos and long nails shine in all their glory.
You can shop the entire collection, including the “Swoosh” bag, on Jacquemus.com and on the SNKRS app from March 5 onwards.
FROM INSECURE TO INSPIRED: ISSA RAE'S JOURNEY TO CO-OWNING SIENNA NATURALS
Issa Rae‘s professional journey is often synonymous with the years she spent developing and creating the hit series Awkward Black Girl and Insecure, which often depicted Rae showcasing her natural hair on camera. For many, Black women especially, Rae became a pillar on-screen and in the entertainment industry of what it means to show up as your whole self in every room you enter, but for Rae, her hair journey wasn’t always one of extreme confidence. In fact, she details times where she often felt shame around her natural hair texture and struggled with an internal tug-of-war between wanting to keep up with the perm trend during her high school days and listening to her mother about nurturing her natural hair. So, how did Rae go from struggling with the complexities of growing up as a curly-haired Black girl in L.A. to becoming a force in the entertainment industry and now being the co-owner of a Sienna Naturals? Growth, both literally and figuratively.
Hair journeys are deeply personal and Rae has been embarking on her own filled with trials, tribulations and triumphs, which is why she can confidently sit at the helm of a beauty brand aiming to normalize the struggles and realities of embracing natural hair. It’s why the brand’s “Rooted in Real” campaign strips away the overly glamorized nature of haircare commercials and directly addresses Rae’s real experience and feelings about her hair.
Below, Rae details her journey to embracing being natural and how it led into her first beautyventure.
For more beauty brand founder stories, check out our coverage of Beyoncé’s journey from battling scalp psoriasis to creating Cécred.
Why did you decide to enter the beauty space in this way and become the co-owner and face of Sienna Naturals?
Not to be punny, but it was natural. I have been testing these products for so long via Hannah Diop (founder of Sienna Naturals), and I have also been struggling with my own hair journey. It was an excuse to start really taking care of my hair and paying attention to what I was putting into it. I started falling in love with the product and I usually become an evangelist for things that I love. So, Hannah was like, I’d love for you to come on and be an evangelist for this.
Why is it important to have the clean ingredient messaging emphasized at the forefront of the brand, especially in relation to Black women’s hair?
Sometimes our beauty is at the expense of our health and that is crazy to me. There’s not enough attention paid to the fact that some of these products are literally hurting and killing us. It’s been surprising to me that clean, vegan and healthy products haven’t been at the forefront of haircare, especially when you’re thinking about the care that we put into our skin and into the things that we eat. Our scalp is connected to our brain and anything that we put on top seeps into us. So, it’s extremely important to be mindful of how we’re taking care of our hair and ourselves. You can’t get your health back so, it’s important to be super mindful. I love that Sienna is at the forefront of being mindful on our behalf.
We often see you on camera wearing natural hairstyles and being the face for naturals in the industry. Has your hair journey always been centered around embracing your natural hair?
It was, unfortunately, because of my mom. My mom did my hair when I was younger and she’d be like, “You’re wearing your natural hair.” I went to school in LA, and that’s a different hair scene where people were getting relaxers and getting perms. I would beg my mom for that and she’d be like, “Your hair can’t handle that” and I did it anyway and my hair fell out. I had to live with the embarrassment and wear ponytails and braids just to keep up with the scene. When I got to college, I saw girls wearing their hair naturally and in twists and protective styles. They had the same hair texture as I did and there wasn’t any shame in it. It was beautiful, and that helped me embrace and not hide my hair because I was hiding it in braids and under hoods in high school. I was like, “Why am I ashamed of what grows out of my head?” So, during Awkward Black Girl, I cut all my hair off and with Insecure, it was an opportunity to showcase that natural hair can be beautiful and desirable. I started believing that message even more as I started to take care of my own hair.
In the “Rooted in Real” campaign video you’re speaking straight to camera about your hair journey with no frills or picturesque hair shots. Why did you decide to take that type of approach for this campaign?
Candidly, some of the conversation around me being involved with Sienna Naturals actually was me being like, “Hannah, my hair journey isn’t all roses; it’s difficult. I am not like a hair girl in that way, so you have to meet me at my level, and I want to be honest about that. There’s a lot of stuff that I don’t know, and I’m going to be learning it during this process with you. I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations with my hair. Sometimes I hate wash day. I’m a dry b-tch in every sense of the word, and I want to say that.” She was like, “Then say it, please.”
It can be intimidating watching some of these hair campaigns and commercials where the girls are just automatically moisturized and have healthy hair, and I am so far from that journey. I want to, at a base level, tell that story, where we can be honest about the fact that wash day isn’t always fun. Also, doing your hair every morning and trying to get that perfect bun, having the same hairstyle because you’re lazy, or turning your camera off on Zoom because you don’t have it together is a real thing and Sienna Naturals will see you through that journey.
TOP 10 KINKIEST MOMENTS FROM FASHION MONTH FW24
From corsets to c-nty cone bras, Fall Winter 2024 runways were every sex-positive hypebae‘s dream.
Keep reading for our top 10 kinky moments you missed this season.
Leather, Latex and Chains Dominate
Is fetish fashion finally receiving its mainstream flowers? This season, major names from Rick Owens to Gucci and Di Petsa reimagined leather, latex and chain-detailing. The result? Stunning FW24 collections with new kinky undertones. Owens, specifically ditched tops for more extravagant latex boots and Laquan Smith elevated power dressing with literal leather suits. Latex gloves, another dominatrix fav, dominated runways, as well.
Mia Khalifa in Sheytan
Our favorite hypebae, Mia Khalifa arrived at Esther Manas in a sheer naked dress layered with none other than her sex-positive jewelry brand, Sheytan.
Nipples, Nipples, Nipples
Adorned nipples were all the hype this season from DSquared2‘s nipple tassel dress to David Koma‘s bedazzled nipples.
Irma Universo x Frida America Shibari Gowns
Emerging designers Frida America and Irma Universo joined the likes of Ludovic de Saint Serninand Dilara Findikoglu with a very kinky showcase. Featuring literal red pink gimp masks, Shibari and submissive models crawling on the floor, the “Lithium” collection was a sex club brought to life.
Shibari, for those unfamiliar, is a form of ancient Japanese rope bondage that is often referenced through fashion. Last season, Shibari was referenced on both Sinead O’Dwyer and Chet Lo‘s runways hinting towards mainstream integration. By the start of 2024, Megan thee Stallion tapped the art form in her #1 single, “HISS,” and just in time for FW24 runways, shibari shape-shifted into gorgeous gowns.
Vaquera Fall/Winter 2024
Vaquera’s show was “MONEY.” Inspired by punk and capitalism’s most rebellious groups, the NYC-based brand left little to the imagination with tits out leotards, chap skirts and a creatively crafted cone bra… wedding dress.
Alectra Rothschild’s Masculina Brought the Dolls Out
Copenhagen Fashion Week was blessed with Rothschild’s rave-themed showcase featuring skin, skin — and more skin. “Embracing her journey as an openly trans woman and her buzzy career in fashion (the designer is already loved by names like Michèle Lamy),” Rothschild revealed her “rebirth through her FW24 show, which featured zero-waste dresses, thongs and low-waisted flared trousers.”
Cunty Corsets
With the constantly growing popularity around Netflix’s Bridgerton, it was only a matter of time before corsets began to trend. By 2022, its resurgence was solidified. But where the garment was once an accessory to a dramatic look, Fall/Winter 2024 runways reintroduced corsets as the main character. Dreaming Eli, for example, released a collection of corsets, taking the form of dresses and tops with nothing underneath.
Gimp Masks Get the High Fashion Treatment
Largely known in the BDSM community as every submissive’s fav, gimp masks are part of a “gimp suit, which is a leather suit that fully covers the body.” Cleverly, these usually only leave a slot for the mouth for kink play that involves oral sex. Our favorite iteration of the gimp mask was emerging designer Jane Wade’s chain-link gimp mask which not only reimagined gimp masks, but gimp suits.
AREA and Weiderhoft also debuted gimp masks on FW24 runways, with AREA offering sweet seduction through a pink, opulent mask and Weiderhoft scaring the literal sh-t out of us with a metallic edge — and eye cutouts.
Chokers Galore
Now introducing every Y2K babe and kink enthusiasts fav: chokers. Known for exuding authority, chokers are a coming-of-age item for Y2K babes while the BDSM community dons these as symbols of status, aka dominant or submissive. Designer Dilara Findikoglu played with the BDSM edge and aimed to stick it to the patriarchy with looks that demanded attention. Specifically, her chain link choke and corset dress taps the essence of the dominatrix — how fitting for the show’s intention.
Cone Bras Make a Comeback
Cone bras are clearly making a comeback and FW24 runways know no bounds. Front row, UK media personality Maya Jama donned a cone bra dress to the Dolce & Gabbana showcase at Paris Fashion Week. Vaquera debuted a cone bra wedding dress — yes you read that correctly — while Findikoglu gave it a more casual edge.
Honorable Mentions:
JW Anderson Taps Erotic Thriller Eyes Wide Shut
Speaking of freeing the nipple, JW Anderson’s FW24 collection was inspired by none other than American classic erotic thriller, Eyes Wide Shut. For the first time, Anderson used a film as inspiration for a collection, and of course, it had to be erotic. The hit thriller follows the story of hidden desires and underground sex clubs, birthing a collection that highlights nipples with sheer and erotic drawings, and also tights as a “Second skin,” — aka underwear as outerwear.
Han Kjøbenhavn’s Take on Submission
The show titled “SILENCE” was “loud and clear” as HYPEBEAST reported. Featuring its usually kinky and flamboyant edge, Kjøbenhavn’s showcase debuted a new iteration of the gimp mask, leaving little to the imagination and a rather poetic take on submission.
GCDS’ Playful Hello Kitty Bra
Toying with the idea of playfulness, the Milan-based brand debuted a Hello Kitty inspired collection. One element we didn’t expect? Hello Kitty tapping the adorned nipples trend but to our surprise — we love it.
Pressiat Fall/Winter 2024
Pressiat served a lesson in c-nt with model and musician Santa donning its cheekiest look. Check out the full runway moment above.
Di Petsa’s Pocket P-ssy
An ode to “female empowerment and acceptance,” Di Petsa founder Dimitra Petsa debuted a “Masturbation Pocket” for women. As shared in our highlight piece, “The FW24 show memorialized dressing as a ritual, making its moment of pleasure all the more significant.”
For more kinky Fashion Month coverage, visit our sex and dating vertical.
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