Rihanna Launches 'Fenty' with LVMH *Update February 2021* Now Closing the Luxury Brand

[Benn98]

I don't think most of us are trying to discredit Rihanna or discourage her ambitions as a designer. There is just a lot of uncertainty when it comes to celebrities launching fashion projects because most of them haven't done the proper education or training in design. A lot of them haven't even learned the business aspect sufficiently enough, which is a basic requirement for designers and design students. Does Rihanna seem genuine in her efforts with LVMH? So far she does but execution is different than words. We will see.

I guess also that it can feel like a slap in the face to people who work half their lives to make a break in fashion. I am personally not upset but I understand the resentment or frustration. Fashion is one of the most difficult industries to break into and celebrities really just have to use their connections and finances to get any corporation's attention. Not only that, the exposure that a celebrity brings is irresistible to any corporate entity. It's unfair but it's the way the system.

It also sounds crass or politically incorrect to say but I have to believe a lot of this has to do with token diversity and conglomerates capitalizing off of socio-political outrage in recent times. I myself am a minority but I want to be hired at a fashion house only if someone thinks it's appropriate for me - not because I am Asian or part of the LGBT community. However, I think businesses are doing exactly just that.

Sorry if my answer is confusing or longwinded. I'm trying to explain the best I can from my own perspective as a fashion designer and student.

Absolutely nothing wrong with your response, it's actually crystal clear and I agree with you wholeheartedly.

We should just bear in mind that there are also designers who've also started their brands with little to no higher fashion education. Rei? Jacquemus, is a more current example. But he's going at it alone with no backing, so the success of his brand relies entirely on the clothes he puts out. Not fame or followers.
And just to distinguish between the Olsens, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. The Olsens own the majority of The Row, and a silent, non-fashion partner a minority stake (rumoured to be 20%.) Since starting their brand they've narrowed down their interviews tremendously to the type which will only benefit the The Row, and other than the Met Gala cover, they don't appear on magazine covers. Because the idea is to let the brand speaks for itself, and not be influenced by their public profile. Victoria Beckham (with her husband) owns a third of her brand, and as we all know, very often appears on Vogue. Last year - with her entire family. In her case, her brand and her public profile are very much intertwined.
We don't have the finer details of this partnership yet because they've only just confirmed it, but my guess is that LVMH will have a majority, or at the very least, a 50% stake in Fenty. Especially when you consider that they still own the majority of Marc Jacobs. So if you actually want to celebrate female championship, you need to look beyond gender and race to stuff like autonomy, creative control.

'Now Rihanna brings fame to fashion, to the tune of €30 million by LVMH’s calculation. Rihanna is contributing that sum in “her time, her name and what she represents” to the venture, while LVMH is putting up the equivalent €30 million in cash, according to the BoF.'

That already tells you that 1) this is not someone who toiled in a studio to get ahead, and b) her existing popularity will be a huge contribution, meaning she won't be able 'let the work speak for itself'.' Somewhere, out there are women designers who actually do come from nothing, and are diligently working at their brands. When the time comes, they can be celebrated.

We all know fashion isn't 'Nobel prize or researches who are saying lives', but this is a fashion forum, so I'm not sure how that even relates to what's being discussed.

 

[dodencebt]

Sorry to digress a bit bit this is the most civilized and wonderful debate we’ve had on this forum in a while.

 

[magsaddict]

Fashion is a business after all, there are plenty of design talents who had it all but never made a viable business - Mizrahi, Lacroix come to mind.
I just think of someone like Christian Siriano who came from nothing, and sketches and sews and makes lovely dresses for women of all shapes and sizes. He also fought hard (and continues to) to establish a brand from the ground up, and slowly earned some modest respect in the industry. Sadly I don't think there's enough opportunity to be a young designer and launch a brand - unless you literally have money or go on a reality show like Project Runway (a stigma which takes years to wash off). If we're not careful, soon all the young design talents will be anonymously toiling away working for a celebrity name, long hours, low pay and zero acknowledgement.

 

[perfect blue]

Absolutely nothing wrong with your response, it's actually crystal clear and I agree with you wholeheartedly.

We should just bear in mind that there are also designers who've also started their brands with little to no higher fashion education. Rei? Jacquemus, is a more current example. But he's going at it alone with no backing, so the success of his brand relies entirely on the clothes he puts out. Not fame or followers.
And just to distinguish between the Olsens, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. The Olsens own the majority of The Row, and a silent, non-fashion partner a minority stake (rumoured to be 20%.) Since starting their brand they've narrowed down their interviews tremendously to the type which will only benefit the The Row, and other than the Met Gala cover, they don't appear on magazine covers. Because the idea is to let the brand speaks for itself, and not be influenced by their public profile. Victoria Beckham (with her husband) owns a third of her brand, and as we all know, very often appears on Vogue. Last year - with her entire family. In her case, her brand and her public profile are very much intertwined.
We don't have the finer details of this partnership yet because they've only just confirmed it, but my guess is that LVMH will have a majority, or at the very least, a 50% stake in Fenty. Especially when you consider that they still own the majority of Marc Jacobs. So if you actually want to celebrate female championship, you need to look beyond gender and race to stuff like autonomy, creative control.

'Now Rihanna brings fame to fashion, to the tune of €30 million by LVMH’s calculation. Rihanna is contributing that sum in “her time, her name and what she represents” to the venture, while LVMH is putting up the equivalent €30 million in cash, according to the BoF.'

That already tells you that 1) this is not someone who toiled in a studio to get ahead, and b) her existing popularity will be a huge contribution, meaning she won't be able 'let the work speak for itself'.' Somewhere, out there are women designers who actually do come from nothing, and are diligently working at their brands. When the time comes, they can be celebrated.

We all know fashion isn't 'Nobel prize or researches who are saying lives', but this is a fashion forum, so I'm not sure how that even relates to what's being discussed.

Thank you for this response, I did learn a lot from this. I was not taking into consideration how much each individual owns when it comes to these deals and brands. I wish I knew as much as you did regarding this subject. As you said, Fenty will be quite different from The Row, so I guess the stigma of celebrity is going to stay with Rihanna for now.

You did bring up a good point about designers like Rei, Raf, etc who didn't come from a traditional design background and education. I wish I had considered that earlier in my post.

I completely agree with you that ownership and control over Fenty will be more progressive than Rihanna just being the face of her brand. I really enjoyed your post.

Fashion is a business after all, there are plenty of design talents who had it all but never made a viable business - Mizrahi, Lacroix come to mind.
I just think of someone like Christian Siriano who came from nothing, and sketches and sews and makes lovely dresses for women of all shapes and sizes. He also fought hard (and continues to) to establish a brand from the ground up, and slowly earned some modest respect in the industry. Sadly I don't think there's enough opportunity to be a young designer and launch a brand - unless you literally have money or go on a reality show like Project Runway (a stigma which takes years to wash off). If we're not careful, soon all the young design talents will be anonymously toiling away working for a celebrity name, long hours, low pay and zero acknowledgement.

I have to agree with all your points as well, especially the last part of your post. It's my worst fear as a designer and student.

 

[MulletProof]

ok but..

please don't stop the music?

 

[Nomar]

This is probably going to fail and it just smells like greed to me. She's dipping her toes into way too many things and something or someone will suffer because of it.

I'd also like to know what will happen to her beauty line and Puma collaboration because if I'm not mistaken but they are all under 'Fenty' as well. If this new brand has the same name and is marketed as 'luxury', I feel like this will lead to a lot of confusion, especially because she has a lot of young fans too.

 

[Lola701]

This is probably going to fail and it just smells like greed to me. She's dipping her toes into way too many things and something or someone will suffer because of it.

I'd also like to know what will happen to her beauty line and Puma collaboration because if I'm not mistaken but they are all under 'Fenty' as well. If this new brand has the same name and is marketed as 'luxury', I feel like this will lead to a lot of confusion, especially because she has a lot of young fans too.

I’m sorry but this new venture sounds like success. We don’t know on a long term but in short term, for the first year, we can expect a success.
She has all the power of LVMH behind her in terms of skills, factories and distribution and marketing.
And her young fans can still afford entry priced level items such as T-shirts and Sweatshirts...

Her beauty line « Fenty » is also a joint venture with LVMH...Which explain the worldwide distribution with Sephora (also LVMH) and the massive expansion of the line.

Her collaboration with Puma is done. Plain and simple...

What she is doing is kinda similar to what Stella McCartney did when she launched her own brand.
Eventually at one point, fashion will need to be a priority of her if she wants her business to expand.

 

[Benn98]

What she is doing is kinda similar to what Stella McCartney did when she launched her own brand.

Off topic, but every time I read Stella and Rihanna's names in the same sentence I can't stop being reminded of this soundbite:

'They have been having regular chats,’ says my source. ‘They call them “mood calls”. Stella rings Rihanna and asks her to explain what has influenced her mood that day – colours, textures, patterns. 'Stella feels she needs to tap into a younger generation and Rihanna is happy to help. It’s a bizarre way to create a fashion line but they work well together.’

This sounds entirely normal and not at all creepy in an Elizabeth 'Blood Countess' Bathory kind of way.

 

[Nomar]

I’m sorry but this new venture sounds like success. We don’t know on a long term but in short term, for the first year, we can expect a success.
She has all the power of LVMH behind her in terms of skills, factories and distribution and marketing.
And her young fans can still afford entry priced level items such as T-shirts and Sweatshirts...

Her beauty line « Fenty » is also a joint venture with LVMH...Which explain the worldwide distribution with Sephora (also LVMH) and the massive expansion of the line.

Her collaboration with Puma is done. Plain and simple...

What she is doing is kinda similar to what Stella McCartney did when she launched her own brand.
Eventually at one point, fashion will need to be a priority of her if she wants her business to expand.

You don't need to apologise for your opinion and yes, I agree that it will probably be popular when it first launches. However, that's to be expected and the hype will just die down like for many of these other celebrity designers. They have a few 'good' seasons and then people move on. She might have the resources of LMVH but if anything they're just a safety net.

Fenty Beauty is not marketed as luxury and although it might not be the cheapest brand, it's still a lot more accessible than what other luxury brands offer. With this new logo and direction, LMVH will probably have to choose to either completely separate the brands or make them in sync. Whatever they choose, I don't think it will be a cheap or easy process.

While younger fans may be able to afford entry priced level items, would they still buy it if they could just go and get something of equal value from a much more reputable or popular brand like Gucci for example? To them it's still a lot of money and even though we don't know what the pricing or quality will be like, there are many other brands that they can reliably pick from.

You mention that fashion will have to be her priority if she wants to expand but what if it's not? She's a musician first and is even releasing a new album this year, we don't know how seriously she will take this.

 

[Lola701]

You don't need to apologise for your opinion and yes, I agree that it will probably be popular when it first launches. However, that's to be expected and the hype will just die down like for many of these other celebrity designers. They have a few 'good' seasons and then people move on. She might have the resources of LMVH but if anything they're just a safety net.

Fenty Beauty is not marketed as luxury and although it might not be the cheapest brand, it's still a lot more accessible than what other luxury brands offer. With this new logo and direction, LMVH will probably have to choose to either completely separate the brands or make them in sync. Whatever they choose, I don't think it will be a cheap or easy process.

While younger fans may be able to afford entry priced level items, would they still buy it if they could just go and get something of equal value from a much more reputable or popular brand like Gucci for example? To them it's still a lot of money and even though we don't know what the pricing or quality will be like, there are many other brands that they can reliably pick from.

You mention that fashion will have to be her priority if she wants to expand but what if it's not? She's a musician first and is even releasing a new album this year, we don't know how seriously she will take this.

Don’t expect her stuff to be Gucci in terms of prices but more Kenzo...
And Kenzo while being a contemporary line is still marketed as a luxury brand because it’s still the luxury aspect of the brand that secure the hugely profitable perfume business.
You see Karl’s own brand has never been able to have a profitable perfume business.

With Fenty Beauty, you feel like you have for your money because the packaging and the products are fine. That’s not always the case with bigger brands. I think her fashion might have the same approach and the marketing around it will make the prices just fine for her fans.

She invested part of her own money so, she has to be involved anyway because her partners are big sharks.
She’s not a designer, I don’t expect her to create. She is basically the face of a brand but because her money is there, she needs to be more into it in order to fulfilled her vision.

I sincerely think that her being involved in so many things is a way for her to maybe distance herself from a certain part of the music industry.

She can release albums, designers don’t just create clothes.
It’s not like she’s a songwriter and a composer anyway...
But I don’t see her doing world tours à la Madonna or Beyonce.

 

[[Piece Of Me]]

She can release albums, designers don’t just create clothes.
It’s not like she’s a songwriter and a composer anyway...
But I don’t see her doing world tours à la Madonna or Beyonce.

That is not really true, as she usually has writing credits on her songs. She co-wrote every song on Anti. She is not the sole writer, but she is involved with her songs and the writing behind them.

I do wonder how she will handle it all. Especially like you mention touring. She has basically toured every album but it could be quite hard now to combine that.

 

[mepps]

Black Excellence, and I'm here for it.

 

[balmain1914]

maybe FENTY HAUTE COUTURE in the future?
LOL...AMERICAN CELEB SLAPPING ON glorious FRENCH PEOPLE'S FACES

 

[Marc10]

 

[Lola701]

Saw some looks. It’s really a reflection of what she wears and the designers she loves... A bit of Tom Ford denim with a bit of Jacquemus.
It all make sense on her...At least, i’m Convinced and it’s « honest ».
It’s very « moodboard of Rihanna’s looks ».
As for the prices, it’s clearly above Kenzo. I don’t know if her fans are ready for that but beyond that, it can work.

Miss Beckham has a real competitor now...And even more, Rihanna might have more personality to offer.

 

[perfect blue]

Some of it looks similar to the first LV collection by Virgil. Maybe I am just crazy though.

 

[TheoG]

I can't get over how huge this is. I just read her interview with New York Times and I'm smirking. She's unstoppable.

 

[dodencebt]

The collection is rather pricey. All the clothes featured in the NYT piece are between $600 and $1,100, with accessories going from $420 for jewelry up to $670 for sandals.

In the footnotes NYT says: "Prices will range from $200 to $1,500 in the first drop: A T-shirt will cost about $200; outerwear will range from $1,100 to $1,500. Accessories will also be available, including shoes from $600 to $700 and jewelry from $350 to $600."

 

[GivenchyAddict]

I am already tired of her brand.

 

[1913]

I just saw her NYTimes interview and there was one question where the interviewer asked what her brand's relationship was to masculinity and feminity and she freaking answered that she uses herself as her muse...Lol guys I just can't with the celebrities of the 21st century with these super overinflated egos...like really, who the hell says that "I AM MY OWN MUSE"????...and then she mentions JADEN SMITH as a positive example to follow as a person who dares to be different... f&@< me right?!!!?!