Rihanna’s second child has already performed at the Super Bowl, been to the Oscars (and the Met Gala), and is now in a Louis Vuitton campaign, but not just any campaign — it’s Pharrell Williams’s very first campaign since his appointment as men’s fashion director for LV in February. Pharrell posted a photo to Instagram today standing in front of a giant billboard, which features Rihanna showing off her pregnant belly and wearing a leather button-down with LV’s signature Damier print while carrying classic LV-monogrammed bags in bold colors — red, yellow, and green. The campaign tease comes a few days before Pharrell’s inaugural show next week, on June 20, during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
This campaign isn’t Rihanna and Pharrell’s first collaboration; they worked together on music before, including the song “N.E.R.D.” that they performed together at the 2019 Diamond Ball. While both musicians are notoriously known for their style, this marks their first fashion collaboration, and it’s hopefully the start of many more. Menswear isn’t far-fetched for Rih. Her style has always played with oversize pieces and baggy clothes.
Is there a collaboration that could be any more iconic? I think not. Luckily for Rihanna’s baby, they are a part of history yet again. Her first child, 1-year-old Rza, has also had his fair share of stardom, from being featured on magazine covers to also attending the Met Gala to being part of what is probably the sexiest nude maternity shoot we’ve ever seen. Rihanna’s redefinition of pregnancy is only further proven in this campaign; the Fenty Beauty icon gave maternity fashion a whole new meaning when she was pregnant with Rza last year: Bare belly in crop tops, latex sets, minidresses, and sultry lace pieces suddenly made us question if we had been looking at maternity fashion wrong all along. Maternity fashion (and now campaigns) as we know it will never be the same thanks to Rihanna.