THE F WAS FOR FENTY
In success or failure, Rihanna became the first woman in history to create a luxury brand with LVMH. However, after less than just two years with the luxury fashion house, it was announced Rihanna's Maison brand would be placed on an undisclosed hiatus. With a structure that houses some of the grandest names in fashion legacy, LVMH is home to Louis Vuitton, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Celine, and Fendi and that's just a few names on the fashion side only. So did Fenty ever really have a chance to compete with such high-end brand names?
Throughout her career, Rihanna has become a successful businesswoman, parlaying her music success into a snowball of commerce goods with Fenty Beauty, Savage x Fenty, and most recently, Fenty Skin. With the businesses she made, fashion should have an easy place in her portfolio as an award-winning fashion Icon?
Rihanna is known for jaw-dropping red carpet looks and always changing her look through style. In 2014 Rihanna wanted to expand deeper into the fashion world by bringing us her fashion style and releasing a line with the German sportswear brand Puma. The company named her Creative Director of their women's collection, opening the doors and spearheading a mass frenzy as the successful line was met with rave reviews and high seasonal figures as their releases sold out again and again. Their most popular item was the creeper, the thick sole sneaker low top which was named the best shoe of that year. The unexpected collab brought so much attention to Rihanna as an influential force in a fashion that can sell; it showed she could not only be a great face for marketing but that she could also successfully create and lead fashion production in a large capacity!
Suddenly the brand and Rihanna parted ways with no clear "why" as the company and the singer have discounted their line.
After a break from the fashion scene, Rihanna came back in a bigger and better way. She wanted to target a new audience by working under LVMH. Putting a singer against Dior and Louis Vuitton; was a precarious move. LVMH choose to embrace Rihanna not only for her name but for her proven success among other notable fashion brands. In fashion history, we've seen successful artists dominate the fashion industry but only for a short period. The collections of Fenty Maison were mediocre at best. The line, consistently considered as overpriced basic apparel, caught more flack from the social media audience in reviews than praise for its odd fittings, ambiguous design structure, and overall mediocre style appeal Rihanna had THE presence in mainstream media and the largest fashion house on the planet behind her, so what went wrong? I believe Rihanna did not put as much energy and effort into making her line successful. Where were the fashion shows, or many pop-ups? Where was the flagship location in Paris or New York, was it too early to try and push a luxury scale online-only fashion label? And lastly, where were the celebrities flaunting Fenty on social media? Luxury designer fashion, accessories, and leather goods are constantly being posted on Instagram by celebrities and IG influencers, and product boxes from PR have certainly grown in mass hype with brands like Ivy Park, although not luxury.
The Fenty Maison held attention only for the immediate times Rihanna stood alongside it, but independently was swiftly forgettable; The line first launched in spring 2019, and its final collection was released in November 2020. Did the global pandemic play a part? We've seen again and again the amazing work she puts into Savage x Fenty from face to production. The line is seen all over Instagram, with the top celebrities as their endorsers and small to large social media influencers MAKING it the brand of the hour. Why did Fenty not push to maximize that same level of attention? Did the title of Maison change the method of marketing, and if so who was the new target customer?
By: Sarah Fontanges