As far as Lulu Bonfils is concerned, Rihanna's forthcoming Savage X Fenty line will be nothing short of revolutionary, and she's glad she's part of it. The slinky wardrobe designed and backed by the Shut Up and Drive singer attracted Bonfils, because of the body-positive image it's been marketing, and she says the hype is anything but hollow.
A full-figured model and an art student at the Pratt Institute in New York, she literally screamed when she heard she'd made the short list of parading around in Rihanna's wares. She lucked out with a casting call that required a shoot on a Malibu beach with her in two Savage outfits. To Bonfils, the shoot and a chance to model a celebrity-designed line of evening dress was a dream experience.
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“The attitude of it is, the pieces are very powerful but sexy and soft but strong,” said Bonfils about the wardrobe. “It’s like, people’s favorite kind of extra lingerie pieces that you really just feel very sexy in”.
Those sentiments echo the mission statement made by Rihanna, who's admittedly not exactly bearing a figure that the runway set requires. A bit curvy herself, she correctly assumed there was a huge, underserved market of women being left out of the lingerie market simply because of their ample curves. Now, with attitudes changing towards more body-positive perspectives, the performer is about to strike while the iron is hot.
Savage X Fenty features a number of plus-sized outfits designed to make women feel better about themselves. Rihanna chose the Savage identity to brand her product as a signal that women would be empowered enough to embrace the figures they have, ignoring old-school fashionistas still pointing to some of the outdated features of yesteryear models.
The Rihanna line certainly doubles as a reassuring message of reinforcement to Bonfils, who admitted she experienced a great deal of anxiety, obsessive-impulsive nuances, and a number of mental health issues related to her own body image. Getting herself together, she managed to land a contract with Wilhelmina Models, which led to shoots for Gypsy Sport and Nike as well as her current stint with Muse Models.
Grateful for the opportunity to model the Savage X Fenty line (which comes out later in May), has given her the confidence to share her experience with other women with similar issues vented on social media.
“It’s not just about me and just about how I’m feeling. I’m doing this for young girls so they won’t have to feel how all of us felt when we were younger”.
We applaud the body-positivity that exists here. And Bonfils is WERKING it!
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