Fashion Player of the Week: Rihanna

Worldwide the unrivalled superstardom of Rihanna is associated with her music success. However, it’s not absurd to say that the waves she has been making in the fashion industry are significant. Since launching her namesake brand Fenty, her creations have amassed a global following. She began with Fenty Beauty in 2017 and her cult following meant fans were queuing before even seeing the products.

Rihanna’s move into the make-up world could be compared to that of other celebrities. Kylie Jenner, for example, is famously predicted to have a net worth of $1billlion within the next year amassed from her own beauty brand. Undoubtedly Kylie’s business is a phenomenon but it is  Rihanna’s approach that is more inclusive. We see Kylie Cosmetics collections being deliberately limited edition to create an air of exclusivity and invoke a buy-now-or-lose-out fear among young, impressionable consumers. In contrast, Fenty Beauty is stocked worldwide in department stores and set at a standard department store price range. Its cruelty-free Pro Filt’r foundation is currently available in 40 shades, ranging from extremely fair shades to deep browns, the latter of which is so often neglected by major beauty brands.

Move into 2018 and the Fenty focus has been on fashion. First came a Puma collaboration, with a vast collection of sportswear, accessories and shoes being released under the name Fenty x Puma. However, a more personal venture for Rihanna has been her Savage x Fenty lingerie line, a range that aims to cater to everyone, regardless of shape or style. Alongside this, Rihanna made her Fashion Week designing debut earlier this month in New York. The perfectly-choreographed catwalk welcomed models of every size and a variety of ethnicities, both a rarity for NYFW shows. The most irregular choice used on the runway in a beautiful celebration of the female body was the due-any-moment pregnant model Slick Woods. If this is what a fashion-forward Rihanna can do for the industry in just a couple of years, we look forward to what she has yet to bring.