In a month of Pride-themed collections, Savage x Fenty has relevance

Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty echoes the sentiment of her beauty business: celebrating fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity. Perhaps this is why the company debuted its second Pride collection and campaign this week, which features everything from rhinestone and lace trimmed underwear to fishnets and a smoking jacket, to celebrate the community that is all about self expression.

The collection features four drops and the accompanying campaign is fronted by models Honey Balenciaga, Plastique Tiara, Nikki Garza, Tomás Matos, Armiel Chandler, Xoài Phan, Lilli Johnson and Shaheem Anderson. Savage x Fenty said in a statement the company will financially support charities GLAAD and For The Gworls “to highlight the incredible work they do to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Pride collections are short-lived activations

June is the marketing month allocated to Pride, with many fashion and beauty businesses launching rainbow-themed capsule ranges and aligning their inclusivity endeavours with the LGBTQ community. These are often short-lived activations with considerable marketing spend to boost the bottom line. But fleeting as they may be, they can raise genuine awareness despite being a commodity.

Be transparent

Retailers selling Pride-themed collections would do well to showcase which causes their stores and brands are supporting, informing customers what their pink dollars/euros/pounds are spent on, and if they are spending it on an impact collection.

While some brands have struggled to do this authentically or in a meaningful way that is commercially interesting while genuinely attempting to shift the dial, others, like Fenty, embedded diversity into their brand’s modus operandi from day one. Even when the Pride collections finish their run, a genuine feeling of inclusivity should linger.