Rihanna might be launching a luxury fashion line, so bid farewell to your pay cheques
- Posted by
- Hannah-Rose Yee
- Published
The brand will be in collaboration with LVMH, making it the first new label from the fashion conglomerate in three decades.
Rihanna is good for business.
Her Fenty Beauty brand made $100 million (£77 million) in just 40 days when it launched, and is on track to out-sell both Kylie Cosmetics and KKW beauty within the year. PUMA profits jumped 23% in the quarter when it released a new collection of athleisurewear and accessories designed by Rihanna.
But the singer’s impact is not just limited to the bottom line, though of course that helps explain why she’s such an in-demand name for fashion and beauty collaborations. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is credited with ushering in a new era of inclusivity in the beauty industry, courtesy of the line’s huge array of foundation shades (40 in total) and marketing strategy that spoke directly to consumers of all races and ethnicities.
Rihanna at a Fenty Beauty launch
“I never could have anticipated the emotional connection that women are having with the products and the brand as a whole,” Rihanna told TIME, after the magazine named her foundation one of 2017’s best inventions. “Some are finding their shade of foundation for the first time, getting emotional at the counter. That’s something I will never get over.”
So it’s no surprise, then, that the mega mogul worth $245 million (£190 million) is being courted by luxury fashion houses to start her own label. A fashion icon in her own right, WWD is reporting that Rihanna has been holding “secret” talks with style conglomerate LVMH about creating a label in her own name this year.
The talks have progressed far enough, WWD reports, that LVMH chose employees from within their stable of brands including Louis Vuitton and Celine six months ago to work with Rihanna on her debut collection.
Rihanna presenting the LVMH young designer award
If Rihanna was to launch this label, it would be the first new brand from LVMH since the group created Christian Lacroix in 1987. Rihanna’s luxury fashion line would join LVMH’s stable of brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Fendi, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Loewe.
It’s a smart move from LVMH, considering Rihanna’s global clout. She’s sold more than 50 million albums and 180 million singles and boasts more than 67 million Instagram followers. She’s also beloved in the fashion industry, by designers and tastemakers alike.
“There is no one else that excites me more,” Alexander Wang has said, of Rihanna. “She can throw on combinations you can’t imagine other people could possibly wear and look great,” added Tom Ford. In the fashion world, she has inspired a very, very loose mix of random items.” For Olivier Rousteing, the bad boy Balmain impressario, Rihanna is a muse. “I love her!” he has said. “I love my brand! I love my clothes! And I want them everywhere! And Rihanna is everywhere! We both love social media! We love to text!!! She is the new Wonder Woman!!!”
Though further details of the brand are yet to be revealed, one thing is for sure: it’s going to be huge.
Images: Getty