Tag: rihanna

  • LVMH, Rihanna ‘suspend’ Fenty fashion label

    LVMH, Rihanna ‘suspend’ Fenty fashion label

    LVMH and Rihanna are suspending the ready-to-wear operations of Fenty, the pop singer’s brand, less than two years after its debut as the pandemic pummels demand for clothing.

    “Rihanna and LVMH have jointly made the decision to put on hold the ready-to-wear activity, based in Europe, pending better conditions,” the French luxury conglomerate said in a statement Wednesday.

    Fenty was launched to great fanfare in May 2019 and represented a rare effort by LVMH to build a new fashion brand from scratch. The luxury giant has typically focused on acquiring businesses with prestigious legacies, whether it’s handbag maker Louis Vuitton or Champagne producer Moet & Chandon.

    In a separate statement on Wednesday, L Catterton, the private equity fund backed by LVMH founder and billionaire Bernard Arnault, led a $115 million series B funding along with other investors into Savage X Fenty, Rihanna’s lingerie brand.

    The funds will help power the underwear business’s next phase of growth and enable its retail expansion after it experienced an “explosive” rise in revenue in the past year, the fund’s statement said. The goal is to support “the Fenty ecosystem focusing on lingerie, cosmetics, and skincare,” according to LVMH.

    “Celebrity-originated brands can be very popular very quickly, but their staying power is questionable,” Luca Solca, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said by email. “The risk is that they end up being a flash in the pan.”

    Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty make-up brand has 10.5 million followers on Instagram, compared with one million for Fenty ready-to-wear. The pandemic has impacted the personal luxury goods sector differently, with the apparel category suffering the most, according to a study by Bain consultants.

    “We are still in a launching phase and we have to figure out exactly what is the right offer,” LVMH Chief Financial Officer Jean-Jacques Guiony told analysts about Fenty in October. “It’s still a work in progress.”

  • Fenty Beauty by Rihanna launched in Hong Kong

    Fenty Beauty by Rihanna launched in Hong Kong

    Luxury travel retailer DFS will debut cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty by Rihanna in downtown T Galleria locations in Hong Kong and Macau today.

    DFS will stock Fenty Beauty by Rihanna exclusively in Macau and be one of the first retailers in Hong Kong to introduce the brand.

    Singer Rihanna developed her global makeup line in partnership with Kendo Brands, an LVMH-owned beauty developer, in 2017. Now the company has created a full Maison for Fenty.

    The range of artistry-quality products are inspired by Rihanna’s vision of ensuring people everywhere feel included, with a focus on skin tones that have been traditionally underrepresented in the beauty industry.

    “I created Fenty Beauty because I wanted to make a beauty brand that is inclusive for people everywhere,” said Rihanna. “I want everyone to feel beautiful, recognized and empowered, no matter their ethnicity, culture, skin tone or style.”

    DFS Group chairman and CEO Ed Brennan described Rihanna as a “multi-talented entrepreneur who embraces diversity, applauds curiosity and instills playfulness – qualities that we at DFS also value and promote”.

  • LVMH registers company called “Project Loud” with Rihanna

    LVMH registers company called “Project Loud” with Rihanna

    Plans by luxury fashion house LVMH to quietly collaborate with popular celebrity Rihanna on a new fashion business have been exposed, according to Fashion United. Citing a Fashion Network report on the partnership, the website reveals that the new fashion company Project Loud – originally registered as a shell firm in 2017 – took in a €60 million (US$67.8 million) capital investment from LVMH last year. The firm’s president was shown to be senior LVMH executive Jean-Baptiste Voisin.

    Rihanna’s Fenty line – which, according to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault achieved €500 million in sales last year – was also launched with the support of LVMH. Its Fenty x Puma collaboration in 2017 resulted in a boost in Puma sales by 23 per cent.

    The success of Fenty indicates high potential sales volumes for Project Loud and bodes well for this latest LVMH investment.

    News of the collaboration first broke in January when online portal WWD and the New York Times cited multiple unnamed sources confirming plans.

    Writer Vanessa Friedman flagged the question “Is Rihanna the Coco Chanel of the 21st century?” in a feature published last month.

    “Robyn Rihanna Fenty, one of the defining musical artists of the millennium and a multi-hyphenate talent, has no formal fashion training. What she does have is a clear vision for her own image, 14 No. 1 singles on the Billboard 100 chart and more than 50 Top 40 hits, 67 million Instagram followers, and an ability to disrupt the status quo,” Friedman wrote.

    “While the details of the agreement remain unclear, it is a turning point in both fashion and fame.

    “The combination of Fenty and LVMH will be the clearest expression yet of how celebrity, social media and influencers have redefined the power balance between culture and consumption, changing the way brands of all kinds relate to their audience,” wrote Friedman.

  • Rihanna to launch a fashion house with LVMH

    Rihanna to launch a fashion house with LVMH

    WWD reported that, according to multiple sources, the Rihanna is working with French luxury conglomerate LVMH to launch a luxury house under her name. It would be the first time LVMH has launched a brand new label since Christian Lacroix in 1987. No word on an official launch date, but perhaps that is why Rihanna is suing her father now over the ‘Fenty’ name as he could be holding up proceedings with LVMH.

    The pairing makes sense. In 2015, Rihanna appeared in Christian Dior’s “Secret Garden IV” ad shot at Versailles, the first Black woman to front a campaign for the French fashion house. She also created a line of Dior sunglasses in 2016.

    What is more, she launched Fenty Beauty by Rihanna under the Kendo, LVMH’s incubator to produce products that ultimately end up in Sephora, or in this case, change the way beauty products are marketed.

    WWD reported that Fenty Beauty made close to $100 in a matter of weeks — a great sign for Rihanna’s impending luxury offering.

    Sources tell WWD Rihanna is a “hands-on type” who is very involved in the range’s product development (she was reportedly said to be the same way while creating for Puma and Savage x Fenty).

    It is believed LVMH started forming a team six months ago, handpicking employees from Louis Vuitton and Celine to work on the fashion house’s ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories. And hold on to your Fenty x Savage hats here, the line is to be released in tandem with her ninth album expected to drop later this year.

    We already cannot wait to be fresh off of Rihanna’s runway.

  • Wines and spirits contribution to LVMH luxury business

    Wines and spirits contribution to LVMH luxury business

    It has been a bubbly nine months for the LVMH luxury business – with the exception of its wines and spirits division, which was hampered by supply constraints.

    Revenue grew by 14 per cent for the period to reach €30.1 billion (US$35.4 billion).

    With organic revenue growth of 12 per cent, the third quarter continues the trend for the year, says the group. The revenue increase was despite a negative currency impact of 5 per cent and a positive structural impact of 7 per cent, reflecting the integration of Christian Dior Couture.

    All business groups recorded double-digit organic growth, with the exception of wines and spirits where growth was 8 per cent. Champagne volumes were up 4 per cent, with particularly strong demand in Europe and Japan. Hennessy cognac had a volume increase of 9 per cent despite a third-quarter decline related to limited supply.

    LVMH’s selective retailing business group had organic revenue growth of 12 per cent. Online sales grew at a steady pace, and DFS had sustained growth, particularly in Hong Kong and Macau. The T Galleria store in Cambodia has also developed well, says the group.

    Organic growth of 14 per cent was recorded by the fashion and leather goods business group. It attributes this to innovation, such as the launch of Louis Vuitton’s first smartwatch.

    “The qualitative development of the distribution network continues, as illustrated by the opening of the Maison Louis Vuitton Vendome in Paris, which brings together under one roof all the savoir-faire of the maison,” says the group.

    Highlights during the period included Fendi opening stores in the US and Rimowa being consolidated. Donna Karan was sold at the end of last year.

    There was also 14 per organic growth in perfumes and cosmetics. Perfumes benefitted from the launch of the eau de parfum Miss Dior. Guerlain rolled out Mon Guerlain fragrance internationally, and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna had an “exceptional” start.

    Watches and jewellery had 13 per cent organic revenue growth, with Bulgari achieving “a remarkable performance” with the rapid growth of its signature jewellery collections Serpenti, Diva and B.Zero1.

  • Star leaks Fenty Beauty by Rihanna campaign images

    Star leaks Fenty Beauty by Rihanna campaign images

    Pop star Rihanna has uploaded visuals from the advertising campaign for her new cosmetics line Fenty Beauty by Rihanna on Instagram.

    The Barbados-born entertainer has 56.2 million followers on the social-media site.

    Little information has been released yet about the beauty line, created in collaboration with Kendo, the LVMH group’s subsidiary which also works on Kat Von D and Marc Jacobs Beauty.

    Rihanna presented her first make-up product, a bronze lip gloss with a glistening rosy shimmer and “holographic” effects 12 months ago at a catwalk show for Fenty Puma, the line designed in collaboration with German sports brand.

    Fenty Beauty by Rihanna will be available at Sephora stores and on the perfumery retailer’s e-shop from Friday.

    This is not Rihanna’s first foray into make-up. She had a collaboration with Mac Cosmetics in 2013.