On Monday, August 7, Rihanna took over the internet as photos of her regal outfit from Barbados's Crop Over festival began circulating. The costume, which featured custom beading and feathering, was designed by Lauren Austin, who's been creating Rihanna's Crop Over fits since 2013.
For the 2017 celebration, Austin sent Rihanna multiple sketches to choose from and completed the final product in just one day. "I love how daring Rihanna is—her style is edgy and she isn’t afraid to wear whatever she wants, when she wants,” Austin told Vogue in an interview on Tuesday. "When I first saw which look she chose, I thought wow, everyone will be shocked — the neon, the iridescent crystals, it’s totally different from what she’s done before."
Rihanna hasn't attended the festival since 2015, and her star power ups the ante when it comes to designs. “Crop Over used to be celebrated with people wearing simple T-shirts,” Austin explained. “Over the years however, designers started getting creative. Today it’s very important to dress up in full costume to really and truly feel the Crop Over vibe. It’s exhilarating, free, and radiant.”
