Rihanna Savage x Fenty - latest: Fans say Johnny Depp and Rihanna are ‘over’ amid controversial appearance in fashion show
Depp enslited for ‘star’ moment in singer’s fourth showcase
Rihanna’s highly-anticipated Savage x Fenty Vol 4 show has finally landed, but it was already making headlines ahead of its release due to the presence of a controversial figure.
The singer’s fashion show, which aired on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday (9 November), included a star-studded cast of models, musicians, and celebrities modelling pieces from her lingerie brand.
Rihanna, 34, described the fourth installment of her Savage x Fenty show as a “fashion exhibition,” featuring “new bodies, new silhouettes, new personalities, new characters, new energies” showcased on the runway.
The most-talked about moment of the event was undoubtedly Johnny Depp’s one-minute appearance. The actor was seen emerging from a dark, woodland landscape while Outkast’s 2000 single, “So Fresh, So Clean”, played in the background.
Depp sported his signature look for the feature, wearing multiple necklaces, silk Savage pyjamas, and a short robe, worn open at the front.
The controversial appearance comes after Depp’s high-profile legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over a 2018 op-ed written by the Aquaman star. The case concluded earlier this year when a jury ruled that Heard had defamed Depp in the op-ed. Heard was ordered to pay Depp US$10m (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4m) in punitive damages.
After news of Depp’s cameo was confirmed last week, many critics called for a boycott of the lingerie brand and of Rihanna’s cosmetic company, Fenty Beauty.
Former brand ambassadors like Olly Alexander have now vowed to ditch Savage x Fenty, while social media users have expressed their own disappointment in the fashion show’s casting.
Rihanna, what were you thinking when you picked Johnny Depp for your Savage X Fenty fashion show?
“I have always admired Rihanna for how effortlessly she exudes that timeless I don’t give a f*** category of cool that never goes out of fashion. But upon learning she is going to feature Johnny Depp in the November fashion show for her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand, I am thinking maybe she should give more of a f***.”
Read more from Maya Oppenheim:
Opinion: Rihanna, what were you thinking when you picked Johnny Depp?
How, when, where and why would it seem like a good idea to cast a man who joked with a mate about killing his ex-wife?
Rhianna was previously accused of cultural appropriation for song used in Savage x Fenty show
Back in 2020, the singer faced backlash for her iconic Savage x Fenty fashion show after it featured a Hadith, which are traditional Muslim phrases from the Prophet Muhammed that are used as guidance for those of the Islamic faith.
The show used a track called “Doom,” by London-based producer Coucou Chloe, which had sped up vocal samples from verses of Hadith in it.
Multiple viewers then went to Twitter to criticise the event, at the time, one of which wrote: “As a Muslim, no words can describe how disappointed I am with Rihanna for letting her models dance to hadith.”
In September 2021, Rihanna also faced criticism for her Savage X Fenty fashion show, after it included models, who were not Black, wearing their hair in braids.
Some of the models on the runway included Vanessa Hudgens and Emily Ratajkowski, which sparked an online conversation about the appropriation of Black culture.
“Now why the hell did Rihanna have white dancers in braids on the Fenty X Savage show…” one person tweeted, at the time.
Read more:
Rihanna accused of cultural appropriation after models wear braids in fashion show
‘I think we deserved a trigger warning for seeing this many white women in braids,’ one critic writes
Johnny Depp makes controversial appearance in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show
Johnny Depp has made an appearance in Rihanna’s latest Savage X Fenty show.
During the 40-minute show, Depp makes a one-minute appearance about halfway through. In the cameo, the controversial actor is seen dressed in khaki green and walks towards the camera as OutKast’s “So Fresh, So Clean” plays.
Laura Hampson has the details here:
Johnny Depp makes controversial appearance in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show
Actor was confirmed to be in the lingerie show last week
Here’s a closer look at Johnny Depp’s look
The actor walked out in an olive green look from the new Savage X Fenty collection.
Depp wore the “Sheer X Sleep Pant” (£60), the “Sheer X Sleep Tank” (£32) and “Sheer X Smoking Jacket” (£75).
Julia Fox explains why she publicly defended Amber Heard
Julia Fox has shared her reasons for publicly speaking up on behalf of Amber Heard.
As Depp’s high-profile defamation lawsuit against the Aquaman actor unfolded earlier this year, Fox was vocal in her support of Heard, and criticised Depp’s legal action against her as “a sick way of still controlling her life by suing her all over the world”.
During an appearance on Emily Ratajkowski’s podcast, HighLow with EmRata, Fox gave some insight into why she spoke up at a time when relatively few others in public positions were doing the same.
“I did have to say something, because if it could happen to Amber Heard, who is a white, blonde, beautiful, successful actress – because people say that she had no career before, but she did – none of us are safe.”
Nicole Vassell shares more here:
Julia Fox tells Emily Ratajkowski why she feels ‘compelled’ to support Amber Heard
‘If it could happen to Amber Heard... none of us are safe,’ Fox said
Fans condemn Johnny Depp’s cameo in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show
Fans have expressed their disdain over Depp’s cameo in the show.
“Rihanna and the Savage team really messed up with that Johnny Depp feature,” one Twitter user said.
Another said they were unimpressed by Depp’s modelling: “I am interested to know how much Rihanna paid Johnny Depp to shamble from one tree to a second tree a short distance away.”
Saman Javed has the details here:
Rihanna fans condemn Johnny Depp’s cameo in Savage X Fenty show
Depp walked through a dark forest wearing pyjamas from the brand’s new collection
Rihanna channels ‘Mother Nature’ in Savage X Fenty show as she makes modelling return
Rihanna modelled her own lingerie brand for the first time since she gave birth to her and A$AP Rocky’s first child, who they welcomed in May.
The “Lift Me Up” singer opened the 40-minute show with a dance to A$AP Rocky’s latest single, “D.M.B”.
She wore a blue corset top over a lacy black push-up bra and matching black underwear, accessorised with sheer black elbow-length gloves, sheer tights and heels.
Kate Ng has the details:
Rihanna makes modelling return in Savage x Fenty show
The singer put on her first show since giving birth in May
Rihanna previously faced backlash for her Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot
Back in August 2019, Rihanna was critcised for her look while appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar China.
In the photos posted to Harper’s Bazaar China’s account, at the time, she was shown wearing a number of different looks that include references to Chinese culture, including a manicure featuring lotus flowers and dragonflys, fans in her hair, and even a shih tzu dog.
Despite the publication revealing the the cover was meant to show how “Western style icon meets Eastern aesthetic”, many people on social media accused the publication and singer of cultural appropriation.
Read more:
People are accusing Rihanna's latest magazine photo shoot of cultural appropriation
'This just doesn't sit right with me'
Rihanna, what were you thinking when you picked Johnny Depp for your Savage X Fenty fashion show?
“I have always admired Rihanna for how effortlessly she exudes that timeless I don’t give a f*** category of cool that never goes out of fashion. But upon learning she is going to feature Johnny Depp in the November fashion show for her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand, I am thinking maybe she should give more of a f***.”
Read more from Maya Oppenheim here:
Opinion: Rihanna, what were you thinking when you picked Johnny Depp?
How, when, where and why would it seem like a good idea to cast a man who joked with a mate about killing his ex-wife?
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