Rihanna has made a triumphant return to Barbados’ Crop Over festival – and after five years away, her outfit didn’t disappoint.
The 36-year-old opted for a nearly naked mesh bodysuit, which was adorned with red and gold jewels that wound across her body, creating a halter-neck bralet before descending down her legs. The look was completed with a matching headpiece and impressively sizeable wings, comprised of yellow, orange, fuchsia and red feathers, which trailed down to the floor.
The artist and beauty entrepreneur is a regular at Crop Over, a festival that takes place each year in Barbados to celebrate the end of a successful sugar harvest. Since rocketing to fame as a singer in the noughties, Rihanna has attended several times, collaborating with Lauren Austin Designs on her increasingly ornate outfits.
Speaking to Nylon in 2018, Austin spoke highly about her work with Rihanna.
“I enjoy working with Rihanna because she constantly challenges the norm in the fashion world, pushes the boundaries, and is not afraid to break the rules,” she said. “She does not care about what others think and she does and wears what she wants. She is an amazing person – very easygoing, fun, and friendly.”
Prior to this year, Rihanna had not attended Crop Over since 2019, with the pandemic and her two pregnancies having put a halt to her visits. She welcomed her first son, RZA, in May 2022, and her second son, Riot, in August last year, with long-term partner A$AP Rocky.
While she has a portfolio of properties in Beverly Hills and Hollywood (and who could forget her two-year stint in London in that St John’s Wood mansion?), Rihanna still considered Barbados, where she was born and grew up, to be her home.
“Barbados will always be home,” she told Interview earlier this year. “One hundred per cent. I’m still a citizen after all these years.”
Rihanna’s festival return comes shortly after her hotly anticipated new haircare range, Fenty Hair, became available to buy.
The nine-piece range consists of universal staples like a reparative shampoo, nourishing conditioner, deep conditioner and heat protectant, along with stylers like a curl-defining cream, strong-hold gel and edge-control gel.