PARIS: Pop idol Rihanna is preparing to launch her own luxury brand with the world’s biggest fashion conglomerate, according to reports Thursday.
The Barbados-born superstar, who already has her own highly successful Fenty sportswear label, is in secret talks with the French giant LVMH, according to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).
The industry bible said the group, which owns such iconic brands as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Givenchy, is assembling a gang of top designers for the project.
LVMH, which is owned by the fashion titan Bernard Arnault, said they could not comment.
With her huge fan base and tens of millions of social media followers, Rihanna is one of the most powerful style influencers on the planet.
A regular on the front row of fashion shows, and particularly at Dior in Paris, the singer has also proved herself to be a canny creator.
As well as her Fenty line she upped sales at Puma when she became its creative director and has also dipped her toe into lingerie.
Her Fenty Beauty operation — which involved a hook-up with LVMH — racked up sales of more than $100 dollars (88 million euros) within weeks of its 2016 launch.
WWD said that her planned luxury brand, which will take in ready-to-wear as well as leather goods and accessories, could be launched alongside her ninth album later this year.
A new large-scale luxury label — especially one led by a black woman — would be a huge development in the fashion world.
The top end of the market has been traditionally hogged by historic French and Italian houses.
Despite its dominance, LVMH has not started a luxury brand from scratch since Christian Lacroix in 1987.
Black American designers have, however, been making dramatic inroads of late, with Virgil Abloh the most talked about designer at Paris men’s fashion week.
The creator, whose parents come from Ghana, now heads LVMH’s treasured Louis Vuitton menswear line as well as his own hugely cool Off-White Label.
Rihanna, 30, who shot to fame with her “Music of the Sun” and “Good Girl Gone Bad” albums, is locked in a legal battle with her father over the use of the Fenty name.
She is suing her father Ronald Fenty over the use of the family name in his company, Fenty Entertainment, according to reports on Wednesday.
Rihanna to launch her own luxury fashion label
Rihanna to launch her own luxury fashion label
- Rihanna is in secret talks with the French giant LVMH, according to Women’s Wear Daily
- LVMH owns brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Givenchy
Saudi French model Amira Al-Zuhair fronts Louis Vuitton campaign
DUBAI: Saudi French model Amira Al-Zuhair this week shared images from her latest campaign with French luxury label Louis Vuitton on Instagram.
Across the images, Al-Zuhair is pictured wearing several looks from the brand in beige, tan and brown tones.
In the first image she posted, she wore a coordinated outfit in a single shade of brown. The look included a long-sleeve top layered beneath a knee-length outer piece with wide sleeves, secured at the waist with a matching fabric belt, paired with loose, wide-leg trousers in the same tone.
Another outfit featured a long-sleeve printed top with a fitted silhouette and an asymmetric tie detail at the side, styled with slim brown trousers and a matching headscarf.
She was also seen in an ensemble comprising a long, neutral-toned inner garment worn beneath a loose, cape-style outer layer. The look was paired with matching trousers and finished with a structured Louis Vuitton top-handle bag in a metallic finish.
In a fourth look, Al-Zuhair wore a coordinated two-piece consisting of a long-sleeve blouse with decorative detailing across the chest, paired with high-waisted, wide-leg trousers in a similar tone.
This marks Al-Zuhair’s second campaign released during Ramadan. Earlier this month, she fronted a campaign for Italian luxury brand Loro Piana.
In images shared on the brand’s Instagram page, Al-Zuhair wears a floor-length olive-green dress featuring a V-neckline, defined waist seam, and fluid cape-style sleeves falling from the shoulders.
According to the brand’s caption, the Ramadan capsule highlights “intricate detailing and the beauty of simplicity,” presenting a wardrobe of comfortable silhouettes.
Shot in the warm, diffused light of a pottery artist’s studio, the campaign centered on elongated shapes, clean lines, and a muted palette of sage and sand tones.
Al-Zuhair, born in Paris to a French mother and Saudi father, has appeared on the runway for renowned fashion houses.
She has walked for Missoni, Maison Alaia, Brunello Cucinelli, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Giambattista Valli, Giorgio Armani, Elie Saab and more.
In addition to her runway appearances, Al-Zuhair has featured in campaigns for brands including Prada, Chanel and Carolina Herrera.
