That Rihanna reign just won’t stop!
After wins with her makeup, athleisure, and lingerie ventures, the music superstar is now looking to up the ante with her very own luxury fashion line. Her Fenty Beauty products racked up sales north of $100 million in a matter of weeks, and was hailed as a transformative brand.
According to WWD, the “Work” singer is in talks with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton to launch a luxury house under her name. The partnership would become industry titan Bernard Arnault’s first fashion brand launched from scratch since Christian Lacroix in 1987.
Sources tell WWD that the company as already handpicked a clutch of employees from within, including some from Louis Vuitton and Celine, to work on the project in tandem with Rihanna and some of her key associates.
Rihanna has always demonstrated her interest in fashion, whether it be her paparazzi crazed public appearances, her fashion ambassadorships or her recent tenure as the creative director of Puma.
It is understood her collection with LVMH will span ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories, and could be released in tandem with her ninth album, expected out sometime later this year, one source said.
Rihanna’s proximity to LVMH stretches back to at least 2015. After attending shows for Christian Dior, one of Arnault’s most treasured fashion properties, she appeared in “Secret Garden IV,” a campaign and short film shot by Steven Klein inside Versailles. It featured her in Dior sunglasses, carrying the brand’s bags and wearing looks from the Esprit Dior collection.
A year later, she created a range of futuristic sunglasses in collaboration with Dior as part of her brand ambassadorship.
Rihanna previously dabbled in fashion; In 2013, she created a collection of clothing and accessories with British high-street brand River Island.
“Launching at London Fashion Week is a dream come true for me,” she said at the time. “I have wanted to design my own collection for a long time and to present my collection for River Island alongside all of the other great design talent at LFW is a real privilege. I can’t wait to see the reaction from my fans and the fashion press.”
News about Rihanna launching a new brand under her own name comes on the heels of a lawsuit in which she is suing her father over the use of the Fenty name.
As we reported, Rihanna owns the trademark to “Fenty,” and claims her Dad started a talent development company in 2017 called Fenty without her permission. Additionally, Rihanna claims her father and his business partner, Moses Joktan Perkins, falsely advertised themselves as her reps and tried to book her for 15 shows in Latin America in December 2017 for $15 million without her permission.
She’s asking a judge to place an injunction on her Dad’s use of the name Fenty … and, of course, for damages.
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