Rihanna made history as her Fenty clothing line finally dropped this week, as she is the first woman of colour to ever head a luxury fashion brand.
Her clothing line was launched in partnership with LVMH, the behemoth behind the likes of Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Loewe, Celine and Christian Dior amongst many others.
The designs, most of which are already sold out on the Fenty website, are a reflection of Rihanna’s sharp yet edgy style. Think perfectly tailored pieces with unexpected twists such as corset detailing and bold colours, and a hi-lo mix of sparkling jewels, bum bags, denim skirts and neon heels.
View this post on InstagramRelease 5-19. The Maison’s debut. With a visual homage to Kwame Brathwaite. FENTY.com.
A post shared by FEИTY (@fenty) on
This first drop is called 5-19, and in a conversation with Vogue, the singer explained that her collection was actually inspired by the Black is Beautiful movement in the 1950s and 60s, which was pioneered by Brooklyn-based photographer Kwame Brathwaite’s work showcasing the African-American community in Harlem.
He was also the first to create a pageant solely featuring black models, which led to the phrase ‘black is beautiful’. The singer got in touch Kwame, who granted her permission to use his photographs in her campaign.
She said, ‘When I was coming up with the concept for this release, we were just digging and digging and we came up with these images. They made me feel they were relevant to what we are doing right now.’
Rihanna was also praised for using a diverse cast of models, including 68-year-old JoAni Johnson.
But that’s not all of it, the entrepreneur wants to revolutionise the world of luxury fashion by regularly providing new pieces that her customers can shop directly online, proving she knows how to keep up with millennial demands.
If her beauty and lingerie successes are anything to go by, we think she’ll do just fine.
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