Rihanna has been at the leading edge of promoting women with a variety of skin tones, her brand is far from the only one to be inclusive in terms of body size, an issue heavily promoted by brands like American Eagle Outfitters among others.

Even so, Rihanna is getting much of the credit for revolutionizing the intimates industry one that is still dominated by Victoria’s Secret. According to market research firm Euromonitor International, in 2018, Victoria’s Secret was the market share leader in the women’s intimates apparel category, both the U.S. and internationally, with 24 percent and 4 percent of the market, respectively. That same year, Victoria’s Secret sold $7.4 billion worth of bras and underwear.

All of which begs the question: Just what is Rihanna’s brand offering that isn’t already out there?  The answer might simply be just a little bit more of Rihanna.

The core strength of Savage x Fenty is very much Rihanna,the products themselves are similar to products that other brands carry. Savage x Fenty offers bras in cup sizes from A through H. But so do a number of other brands.

But the difference is, those other brands don’t have Rihanna, In terms of popular consciousness or a visible public presence, Savage x Fenty is moving into that space that Victoria’s Secret once occupied. Last year.

And while Victoria’s Secret’s slice of the pie is getting smaller down from 32 percent of the U.S. market competitors have nowhere near the same market share. Rihanna, however, is the mindshare leader at least right now — and the one person that seems to be untouchable.

What’s different now is social media and the impact it has on consumers decision of purchasing. Before those brands came out, Victoria’s Secret used to dominate the market. It was pretty much impossible for new and smaller players to compete with Victoria’s Secret. But now Victoria’s Secret is really struggling in the era of the #MeToo movement and also body positivity. More smaller and niche players, like Rihanna…are using new concepts, which could be size inclusivity or comfort, everyday wear; using those new concepts and they’re able to disrupt the market. I think that really changed the game.