It’s Rihanna’s world; we’re just living in it. And soon, dressing in it—that is, if we can afford it. The megastar has confirmed her partnership on a high-end fashion line with LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), simply called Fenty—and it’s set to debut on Wednesday, May 22 in Paris.
As reported by Business of Fashion (BoF), the label will be the first launched from the bottom up since Christian Lacroix in 1987. And as the New York Times notes, the launch of Fenty will be history-making for LVMH, as Rihanna will be the first woman—let alone woman of color—to create and helm an original label for the luxury house, which also owns Givenchy, Dior, Fendi and Celine. Like those labels, Fenty will be based in at the LVMH headquarters in Paris.
A 49.99% stakeholder in Project Loud France via her company Denim UK Holdings, Rihanna has reportedly committed nearly €30 million of “in-kind” contributions to the new label, which translates to €30 million worth of her time, name usage, image an influence—including over 70 million Instagram followers—against €30 million in cash by LVMH.
“Everybody knows Rihanna as a wonderful singer, but through our partnership at Fenty Beauty, I discovered a true entrepreneur, a real CEO and a terrific leader. She naturally finds her full place within LVMH,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, in a statement. “To support Rihanna to start up the Fenty Maison, we have built a talented and multicultural team supported by the Group resources. I am proud that LVMH is leading this venture and wish it will be a great success.”
As Arnault noted, Rihanna’s immensely successful Fenty Beauty, which launched the 40+ plus shades of foundation trend, was also an LVMH collaboration, launched in partnership with the company’s beauty incubator, Kendo. As BoF notes, Fenty Beauty earned an astounding €500 million in its first full year in operation.
And for those wondering about Rih’s other fashion collabs, her contract with Puma purportedly ended in Spring 2018, while Savage x Fenty, her size-inclusive lingerie line is produced in partnership with TechStyle Fashion Group. Notably, Savage x Fenty recently expanded their lines to include DDD-H bra sizes. No word yet on whether Fenty Maison will be equally size-inclusive at the time of its launch; if so, it’d be a major disruptor within luxury fashion, so we can only hope.
“Designing a line like this with LVMH is an incredibly special moment for us,” said Rihanna in a statement. “Mr. Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits. I couldn’t imagine a better partner both creatively and business-wise, and I’m ready for the world to see what we have built together.”