Rihanna received her first Fashion Awards accolade from none other than Janet Jackson! Not only did the two legends grace a stage together, they even posed for a heartwarming photo that made waves on Instagram.
Can Rihanna, 31, squeeze in a collaboration with Janet Jackson, 53, on her forthcoming album? That’s what many fans appeared to be wondering after seeing a photo of the two icons huddling close for a sweet photo, which you can see here, at the British Fashion Awards in London’s Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 2! Janet shared the black-and-white photo to her Instagram later that night, writing, “Congratulations 🖤.” Congratulations were certainly in order for RiRi, whose new Fenty label won the British Fashion Council’s prestigious Urban Luxe award for redefining “new luxe” and “elevating ‘casual’ to high end and directional fashion,” according to The Fashion Awards’ website.
Janet didn’t have to issue her “congratulations” online or even backstage, however. The pop legend herself presented the award to Rihanna, which led the ladies to share a major stage together for the first time ever! “You’re loved for your style, you’re respected as an artist, entrepreneur and for the first black woman to start a brand with LVMH,” Janet said at the mic, according to our sister website Women’s Wear Daily. This past May, it was a big deal for Rihanna to partner with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a luxury conglomerate that also owns classic power houses like CELINE, Fendi, Christian Dior and Givenchy. Rihanna is not only the first black woman to spearhead a brand under the world’s largest luxury group, but she’s also the first woman ever to boast such an accomplishment!
Of course, Rihanna accepted her award in an original Fenty ensemble — a satin mini dress in mint green, mesh elbow gloves and a coat in the same material. Janet, meanwhile, stayed warm in a fuzzy black coat and butterfly-adorned knitted hat. But fans weren’t paying much attention to their clothes — instead, they were more focused on the legends’ vocals! “OMG!! the two of you is EVERYTHING !!! Duet pls, set the music on 🔥🔥🔥,” one fan commented under Janet’s photo, and another wrote, “Please do a collaboration love u both.” A third fan begged “COLLAB PLZ,” echoing all the other fans who left the same request under Janet’s post.
As for when Rihanna will release new music — collabs or no collabs — that date has yet to be announced. The multi-hyphenate admitted that she’s “working on that ish called Balance” in a Nov. 13 Instagram post, since she’s also managing her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand and her Fenty Beauty company.