Despite the havoc and emotional trauma, the covid-19 pandemic has caused to people and businesses, it keeps giving more surprises. Just recently, LVMH, one of the world’s biggest business conglomerates announced it was suspending its Fenty Fashion brand and it came as a “rude” shock.
Rihanna made history when in 2019, the luxurious juggernaut announced an unexpected alliance with the screen goddess – the first time in a long while (since 1987 in the setup of Christian Lacroix) that the luxury brand will be launching a fashion brand from scratch. Rihanna’s early romance with mainstream fashion started way before now, in 2015. With occasional cameo appearances at shows in Versailles and modeling for Dior, Emperio Armani, Gucci, and Balmain.
At inception, this union was prophesied to reach the heights of brand stardom – something even bigger than LVMH. We have Rihanna with her bombshell personality (Fenty is Rihanna’s last name) to draw from and LVMH with the know-how accumulated from decades of building successful and thriving brands. It was a piece of rather shocking news when Rihanna shook the fashion scene when she revealed a mutual agreement with LVMH to pause her luxury brand. However, her other business interest (Savage x Fenty lingerie) remains at top gear.
Despite Rihanna’s successes in the makeup and lingerie industry, the fashion line comes short in generating the same. The luxury brand further added that “LVMH and Rihanna are focused on the growth and development of the Fenty House despite the current challenges.” This unnerving development highlights the drawbacks of the covid-19 pandemic era for fashion brands. Even big brands are not spared of its fury.
Although sources hint of other projects in the pipeline between the superstar and the luxury group. Fenty Skin surprised everyone when it raked in $30 million in sales in only four months. While Fenty fashion enjoyed amazing sales of eyewear, shoes, and denim with Muaddi, the singer’s first drop of shoes selling out in only five days.
Nevertheless, the robust popularity of the singer remains impeccable despite having released her last album in 2016.
The journey so far has not been without its ups and downs. When last fall, Bastien Renard, a director with the Midas touch who spent a prosperous 19 years at Nike was brought to steer the ship, there was so much expectation. The pandemic is not making things easier, even for big brands like LVMH. Although LVMH last October stated in clear terms, how rough things are with the luxury brand, the possibility of staging a comeback is not out of the question.
The challenge with Fenty Fashion is reportedly that of identity. Because while Fenty Beauty caters to a wide range of skin tones, her lingerie line, caters to all skin types while also including men’s basics, Fenty fashion since its launch, has struggled to create an ideal and failed to distinguish itself from the other brands on the block.
If it’s a question of capacity or style, then Rihanna as a brand still wins. With her three years stint as the creative director at Puma and her successful forays in the lingerie and beauty project, she matches the challenge perfectly.
Understandably, Rihanna is a little sad about having to put her Fenty house fashion on pause despite being happy about her brand’s potential successes in other categories. The recent covid-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to businesses and those whose businesses were not completely shut down, saw a decline in sales. Perhaps the reason behind all this is that Rihanna usually visits important fabric suppliers and constantly educates herself on fabric production, the ensuing lockdown grounded the singer in Los Angeles, completely cut off from her development and production teams in Paris. Fenty Beauty and Skincare brands, however, enjoyed much of the Star as they are both based in California.
‘She’s an amazing singer, we all know that. But not many persons know she is also a true entrepreneur, a CEO, and a thoughtful leader,’ said Bernard Arnault about the talented singer.
Rihanna’s beauty and talent have endeared her to fashion designers everywhere who will stop at nothing to work with the Barbados sweetheart.
In a few months, when things are back to normal, and we don’t have to hide behind facemasks and sales are back to normal or even better, perhaps Fenty fashion will stage a spectacular comeback that will shock the fashion world. Until then, Rihanna will have to focus on the Beauty & Lingerie houses.