Rihanna: First Black Woman to Front Dior Campaign

Oftentimes, if you dare to don something that’s really out there, you run the risk of the clothes wearing you rather than you wearing the clothes. As Ryan Gosling‘s character charmingly said to Emma Stone‘s in Crazy, Stupid, Love, ‘you’re really wearing that dress like you’re doing it a favour.’ That might make you cringe but it’s what we all want to hear and if there’s one woman to make anything look good, it’s Rihanna. No wonder then, that the previously safe?Dior would recruit her as the new face of their fashion line.

What makes this even more newsworthy, however, is the fact that Rihanna is the first ever black woman to appear front and centre of Dior’s brand, which is pretty mental, when you consider the fact that the fashion house has been in business since the 1940s. With the departure of designer John Galliano, it’s been agreed widely that Dior has needed some shaking up of late; no better woman than RiRi for that. Moving away from the sultry Charlize Theron and the super sweet Jennifer Lawrence (who was the face of their last campaign), you can surely expect boldness, edginess and head-turning attitude this time around.

The reason this news is causing so much discussion this morning, is that we’ve still got a very long way to go before women of all colours, shapes and sizes are recognised in fashion. As Bustle report, 83% of women on the world’s runways are still white, so whether we care to admit it or not, diversity is still very much an issue. What’s more, Bustle remind us that Harper’s Bazaar, an example of one leading fashion publication, didn’t feature one non-white woman for all of 2014.

Dior’s appointment of fashion-favourite Rihanna is certainly a step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing the ‘Secret Garden’ campaign video, rumoured to have been shot at Versailles (it was Women’s Wear Daily who first broke this news).

@CarolineForan