Here's singer, actress and fashion queen Rihanna aged just 14 – and even then, she knew she was destined to be No1.
The superstar behind lingerie brand Savage X Fenty and the Fenty skin and beauty lines can be seen at her first fashion event back home in Barbados.
The teen had joined a local creative group to come up with a glittering blue and yellow outfit decorated with musical notes and a huge number one.
Fast forward to 2021 and Rihanna – who is now a billionaire – is soaking up the plaudits after this week’s fashion and music show, Savage X Fenty Vol 3.
Barbadian designer Anwar Muhammad, 72, recalled when a young Rihanna, then known as Robyn Fenty, used to come by his studio and help him design costumes, like the one in our snap, for a street festival dubbed Crop Over.
He said the then 14-year-old loved the cherries which he picked for her from his tree, the same fruit which ended up as an ingredient in her skin care line.
But the designer does not take any credit for her incredible success.
He said: "To be honest I would not say I played a major role in her career but I am still proud of her, I think her designs are out of this world and I am simply happy I got to see glimpses of that potential all those years ago."
Muhammad first met Rihanna, now 33, at her alma mater The Combermere School in Barbados 19 years ago.
He spotted her in the stands and knew right away there was something special about the young girl.
He continued: "Back then I was a photographer taking pictures of Combermere’s sports day.
"I looked back in the stands and saw this one girl and asked if I could take her picture. There was just something about her, she stood out in the crowd. Even then she was destined to number one."
From there he told the group about his Crop Over band and asked if they wanted to help which they did.
He said a group of children came over almost every day to assist him but again Rihanna was the standout.
He said: "Her mother used to drop her off on mornings. She wasn’t Rihanna then, just Robyn.
"That year we were paying special tribute to the music band Krosfyah so we designed costumes as such.
“She was always focused, more so than her friends who would play around, I really enjoyed working with her."
Muhammad has a design scrapbook which features a picture of a young Rihanna and friends, including one of her.
Last year, Savage X Fenty saw revenue growth of more than 200% and ‘increased its active VIP member base by more than 150%.’
The line was launched in 2018 and is anticipated to be the market’s leader by 2025.
As well as a successful lingerie business, Rihanna has lucrative Fenty Skin and Fenty Beauty lines.
