A First Look at Rihanna's Fenty Line for LVMH Including Corset-Lined Suits & Strappy Sandals
The Bajan pop stars on the cover of ‘The New York Times Style Magazine’s first digital cover.
Rihanna has shared a sneak peek of her new Fenty luxury fashion line on the cover of The New York Times Style Magazine‘s first digital cover. She models the unique styles for the Spring 2019 issues also sitting down for an intimate interview where she reflects her journey to high fashion and looks forward to her future as a dominant businesswoman. Following her tenure as the creative director PUMA, the launch of several collaborations with labels Manolo Blahnik and her recent success in the beauty and lingerie industries. The Bajan pop star has more than proven her worth to lead LVMH’s first luxury fashion house created from scratch. She opens about about why she seized the moment to launch Fenty despite risk of overexposure and more:
When they came to you with this, was part of your calculus, like, “I’m gonna be the first black woman to do this?”
No, and I didn’t even know that until months into our relationship, when Jahleel brought it to my attention. And I’m like, “Are you sure about that? Did you do your research? ’Cause I don’t wanna state a claim that’s [expletive].” Because I still couldn’t believe it. It made me feel proud.
What lessons do you think you could learn from failing with this Fenty project?
So many, because it’s the beginning of a new world. Everything was a collaboration, so I’ve plugged my DNA into theirs, but there was already a blueprint. I’m learning so much: about the tailoring, the fabric — I’m seeing fabrics that I’ve never seen in my life.
You are one of our only immigrant pop stars in America, 21 Savagebeing another. Did coming from an island that’s 90 percent black make it feel natural to have 40 distinct shades in the first run of Fenty Beauty?
In my own household, my father is half black, half white. My mom is black from South America. I was seeing diversity. That’s all I knew. Growing up, I wanted to be darker, always. So, making makeup, it wasn’t even a thing I had to think about. I didn’t even really know how bad it was, the void in the market for dark foundation, because all I’d seen was black women put makeup on. I don’t even think 40 shades is enough! And so I added 10 more recently, and we’re not gonna stop there.
Let’s talk about those monthly drops, which is one of the innovative aspects of this: Fenty will be releasing several new items — from basics to special pieces — exclusively on its website. How did you come up with the distribution model?
Because I’m a millennial, you know? People are always looking for the thing that hasn’t made it online yet. And as a consumer, I hate seeing something on the runway and then having to wait six months for it. I had to wait all that time to get it, do I even…
She goes on to share details about her upcoming ninth studio album which she confirms will be mostly reggae (with no appearances from Drake). Fenty is scheduled to launch online on May 29 at FENTY.com. The luxury label will be setting up a pop-up shop in Paris on May 24 to give shoppers an early glance. Another notable detail about the new brand is that it will be run on a “See Now Buy Now” model which means Fenty will operate outside of the traditional fashion cycle.
Take your first look at the Fenty line below and head to the The New York Times Style Magazine to read the full feature.
