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

[perfect blue]

Nicolas has a legacy and history already so it makes sense for him to have his own house. He didn't have an art school or traditional background, but still worked his way up through the various brands and designers he worked for. It can be argued that he was the most masterful or influential of all the designers during his Balenciaga era.

With Rihanna she is mostly known as an entertainer and pop superstar so it's hard to shake the stigma of that - though the world is changing and more open every day. Also the fight for inclusiveness and diversity probably gained her a spot at LVMH if I'm going to be politically incorrect for a second. I think she is more focused on fashion than Virgil is though (amazingly). Virgil is doing 500 different jobs at once but he is supposed to be the artistic director of the biggest luxury house in the world. His lack of focus shows in his clothes and design unfortunately.

 

[bc collector]

Yes, seeing Rihanna or Virgil can inspire a lot of young people or even young black people to work in fashion

Ok, one last thing and then I'll shut the f**k up (this thread has already dragged on way beyond the intrinsic value of its subject matter).

This idea that inclusivity among fashion designers has to be secured according to a marketing scheme is, imo, slightly moronic. I have to repeat myself, but the cruel reality is that in fashion, as in most cultural and creative fields, you are only as good as your ideas are, the rest, this ongoing debate shrouded in politically correct nonsense, is ideological fluff; the color of your skin should bring no added value if your creative output is modest or non existent.

If people were more serious about inclusivity in the fashion world, they would probably address the issue of the skyrocketing fees of fashion schools worldwide, which more and more are looking like playgrounds for the riches. Scholarships are insufficient to grant access to a growing number of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or just plain middle class kids who refuse to be indebted for life.

 

[Benn98]

The way I see it Rihanna is the only one who will really benefit from this partnership. Instead of having to do a range with H&M, Topshop or at best Tommy Hilfiger, which is where these rags belong, or having to fund the line out of her own pocket, she got one of the biggest fashion conglomerates to back her. Because let's be frank, this line is pure high street fare. Beggars belief how these pieces must've passed so many eyes and actually saw the light of day.

 

[donyan]

This idea that inclusivity among fashion designers has to be secured according to a marketing scheme is, imo, slightly moronic. I have to repeat myself, but the cruel reality is that in fashion, as in most cultural and creative fields, you are only as good as your ideas are, the rest, this ongoing debate shrouded in politically correct nonsense, is ideological fluff; the color of your skin should bring no added value if your creative output is modest or non existent.

This is not a question of inclusiveness or race but of superstardom and the ensuing reach towards an aimed-for clientèle. I love Rihanna and she might have great taste and even talent as a Designer , but let’s be honest here: this is a marketing ploy, plain and simple.
The strange thing here is the fact that it doesn’t need a Designer anymore to build a Fashion House , unlike a Filmmaker to make a film , or even a baker to bake. Designers will become the anonymous workers behind a marketable name or face.

 

[bc collector]

This is not a question of inclusiveness or race...

I agree with you but that is how the tale is told in mainstream media

I love Rihanna and she might have great taste...

Really? No. (If hers is considered great taste, then a new kind of superlative should be made up for the likes of Tilda Swinton or Grace Jones, to name two)

 

[dfl-001]

...
The strange thing here is the fact that it doesn’t need a Designer anymore to build a Fashion House , unlike a Filmmaker to make a film , or even a baker to bake. Designers will become the anonymous workers behind a marketable name or face.

This is what I fear and it's heartbreaking.

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^In a way, though...maybe it’s what designers need right now....move to the back and focus on the work.

I’m so tired of fashion. And what “designer” today is really putting out work that’s much better than a celebrity line, such as this? Everyone is chasing “cool.”

It may be a time to let the Rihanna’s of the world take over the industry for now. Real designers should hunker down, have some quiet time, focus on their craft, do some soul searching and ask themselves some tough questions and then it may be time for a resurgence in creativity and a new guard to emerge. I don’t see a market - both financially and emotionally - for really inspiring clothes right now.

 

[Benn98]

LVMH Says Rihanna’s Fenty Clothing Line Is a ‘Work in Progress’

Joelle Diderich
,WWD•October 15, 2020

PARIS — Like her other beauty ventures, Rihanna’s new skin-care line is off to a flying start. But her fashion venture with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, launched with great fanfare last year, is still a “work-in-progress,” the luxury conglomerate admitted on Thursday.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, has long professed his admiration for the singer, noting that her Fenty Beauty color cosmetics racked up sales north of $100 million within weeks of their launch via a partnership between Rihanna and LVMH-controlled Kendo.

He has been noticeably silent on the Fenty clothing line, leading to speculation that the direct-to-consumer collection is underperforming. The label recently recruited Bastien Renard, who worked for 19 years at Nike in Europe and in the U.S., as managing director.

Speaking to analysts after LVMH published third-quarter sales, chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony said Rihanna’s luxury maison was still finding its footing.


“On Fenty fashion, we are obviously still in a launching phase and we have to figure out exactly what is the right offer. It’s not something that is easy. We were starting entirely from scratch,” he said.

“Obviously, we have the great help from Rihanna on this, but I would say it’s still a work in progress when it comes to really defining what the offer will be. We have successes, we have things that have worked less well, so we have to sort in between the two and really decide what should be the core strengths of the offer in the years to come,” he added.

Sources suggested Renard, a dynamic and agile executive adroit at all things digital and cutting-edge, could tweak the positioning of the brand, celebrated with pop-up events in such marquee stores as Bergdorf Goodman and Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty holds the titles of founder, chief executive officer and artistic director of Fenty.

Her fashions, sold principally online at Fenty.com via see-now-buy-now drops, have skewed more to the dressy and designer end of the spectrum. The latest fashion volley is focused on denim, including oversize jackets and shirts, plus waist-cinched dresses.

WWD broke the news in January 2019 that Rihanna would enter the fashion arena with her own brand following a stint as Puma’s creative director.

Announced officially in May last year, the Fenty house is “centered on Rihanna, developed by her and takes shape with her vision in terms of RTW, shoes and accessories, including commerciality and communication of the brand,” LVMH and the music superstar said at the time.

It marked the first time LVMH — whose forte is modernizing legacy brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Bulgari — has launched a fashion brand from scratch since it set up a couture house for Christian Lacroix in 1987.

WWD

 

[Nomar]

So in other words, they have no idea what they're doing. Sounds like this brand was just a rushed job to begin with.

 

[RuggingUpForTheWintour]

In a word; YEEZUS.

 

[Lola701]

Ultimately, the problem with a brand like Fenty as that the first people who are supposed to support the brand are Rihanna’s fans...Unfortunately, they don’t necessary have the finances for Fenty.

I also want to ask why Rihanna herself isn’t wearing her brand more? I mean, everytime she graces any time of carpet, she should be wearing her own brand!

Also, I think the silhouettes are too unconventional for it to only have a digital presence. You needs a consistent physical presence because who says online shopping, also says returns!

If you buy skincare online, it’s not something you can return if you have already tested the product...The same with make-up.

I sometimes think that the suits don’t have a commercial common sense of people who have a more creative sensibility!

 

[jeanclaude]

Wake me up when LVMH launchs a Marilyn Manson luxury brand (I can suggest them another silly name in the same line of Fenty...what about "Maison Manson"??).

 

[perhydrol]

I wonder why LVMH decided to place the brand in a luxury segment. The success of Savage x Fenty lingerie comes from being quite affordable, well designed and pretty diverse in a way that everyone might find a good piece in their size. What's more, Rihanna knows how to make a cool and show. On the contrary, there's Fenty, the clothing line. It's been such a non-event, literally no one buys that clothing, it's overpriced and tries to be avant-garde. Even LVMH doesn't care to make any show or presentation, there was that one event for the debut collection and that's it. I feel like there's no marketing behind the brand, they're not even trying to create any hype. In my opinion it's clear who's to blame here because on paper this brand should work wonderfully yet it's a total flop.

 

[mepps]

Rihanna is a pop star who looks great in other peoples clothes, but she is not a fashion designer.
LVMH should have just focused on her makeup line, which is something her fans can actually afford.
This week she's selling skin care, what's it gonna be next week? Cars?
She is not high end luxury, and no one who can afford luxury fashion is gonna be running to buy her basic clothes, designed by a team.
LVMH got greedy, and now they're scrambling to save face, and sales.

 

[Lola701]

Rihanna is a pop star who looks great in other peoples clothes, but she is not a fashion designer.
LVMH should have just focused on her makeup line, which is something her fans can actually afford.
This week she's selling skin care, what's it gonna be next week? Cars?
She is not high end luxury, and no one who can afford luxury fashion is gonna be running to buy her basic clothes, designed by a team.
LVMH got greedy, and now they're scrambling to save face, and sales.

The irony is that she is selling it as luxury when in fact, it’s contemporary but even in terms of contemporary, I think the prices are just too much.
I think LVMH was very cautious about the launch but you explained it perfectly: she looks good in other people’s clothes.
And it’s funnier that she seems to enjoy wearing people’s clothes rather than hers...
If I was them, I would just redesign a « perfect wardrobe » collection of 10 looks. Let’s say a shearling coat would be the most expensive piece at like 1000€ max! Simple designs, flattering cuts that she can wear. They can push the marketing for the eyewear and the shoes and that’s it. In terms of money, it can be profitable but they should stop the BS with the pretentious designers ambitions.

Ultimately, the alterations she made of the designers she copied end-up making her designs weaker than the original.

 

[SophiaVB]

I sometimes think that the suits don’t have a commercial common sense of people who have a more creative sensibility!

This is really the entirety of the industry now. As someone that works in a creative/commercial role, I have to spend 10 hours a day arguing for budget to suits who have no intuitive sense of what is happening in the world & why their product doesn't sell or isn't desirable.

 

[Lola701]

This is really the entirety of the industry now. As someone that works in a creative/commercial role, I have to spend 10 hours a day arguing for budget to suits who have no intuitive sense of what is happening in the world & why their product doesn't sell or isn't desirable.

The suits wants fireworks with firecrackers budgets. And on top of that, they wants to keep an eye on the creative side.
Obviously, that new wave of suits that comes from business schools and that studied « fashion » don’t have a 360 POV needed in this kind of business.
I believe suits needs to have the same quality they expect from creatives...Ultimately, it’s the creatives that drives the industry.
There’s no other industry like the fashion industry. The rules are written everytime and if as an executive, you don’t understand that your role is to highlight the work of the creatives, you are clearly in the wrong industry.

 

[SophiaVB]

The suits wants fireworks with firecrackers budgets. And on top of that, they wants to keep an eye on the creative side.
Obviously, that new wave of suits that comes from business schools and that studied « fashion » don’t have a 360 POV needed in this kind of business.
I believe suits needs to have the same quality they expect from creatives...Ultimately, it’s the creatives that drives the industry.
There’s no other industry like the fashion industry. The rules are written everytime and if as an executive, you don’t understand that your role is to highlight the work of the creatives, you are clearly in the wrong industry.

I think that a large directional change for the industry (or at least my experiences) have been the increasing monopolization of the industry in Europe (with basically 0 financial/industry support elsewhere for indies) and the necessity of having a strong e-comm/digital presence. Both factors have led to what should be a creative industry becoming overly reliant on tech startup expats & business consultants. Unless you're particularly savvy at understanding the historic & creative nuances in addition to data skills then you will run the actual fashion aspect of the business into the ground & build a glorified Amazon selling $500 t-shirts.

 

[Benn98]

So basically what is happening here is that they've overestimated her reach? That just because she's universally liked, uber luxury shoppers will just hop on Fenty and buy? I just find it so mind-boggling that one of the largest fashion conglomerates in the world got themselves into such a rookie situation, and it actually speaks volumes because at the core it also means that they don't really know who the current luxury shopper is and what the deciding factors are.

This is what happens when marketing supersedes creativity. As for Rihanna, the fact that she got herself into this shows that it was never really about her creativity or allowing her brand to grow organically, it was just another side hustle. A way to cut corners and make a quick buck. Stick to music, love! Oh wait, wasn't the last album a flop?

 

[RuggingUpForTheWintour]

Please, at this point move to fashion is just merchandise for the album.
Why not just do an exclusive line of t-shirts?

I remember, back in the early 2000s, I think The Rolling Stones did an extremely limited collaboration with Comme des Garçons on two shirt designs. My Dad has one; it's literally a long sleeve button up shirt with the band's autographs over it. I think they only made a few thousand, and that was it.

I forgot what the design for the other shirt was but, the coolest part, was that Ronnie Wood actually designed them.

Rihanna's move here just reeks of clamouring for relevance in an industry that has literally gone Gaga.