Rihanna and LVMH hit pause on Fenty
Image: Bernard Arnault (left) and Rihanna (right) via Fenty’s Instagram
In 2019, Rihanna announced the launch of her luxury fashion label Fenty. She worked together with LVMH to build the brand from scratch. She made history as the first black woman to have a brand of her own with LVMH. However, after a short period, it faced significant challenges trying to stay afloat during the pandemic. Rihanna and LVMH came to an agreement to pause the fashion label. A statement by LVMH had been announced that the brand would be "put on hold…pending better conditions" while they continue to focus on the growth of Rihanna's lingerie brand Savage x Fenty and FentySkin.
It is said that through private equity company L Catterton, in which LVMH holds a stake, Rihanna’s lingerie brand raised$115 million to support its expansion and future retail ventures. Savage x Fenty posted revenue growth of over 200% last year and "increased its active VIP member base by more than 150%," Savage x Fenty said in a statement.
The brand is a visual representation of Rihanna, but the partnership shows very little result. It never got a chance to gain momentum. Giving a celebrity a platform to collaborate on an entirely new brand built from scratch has its own risks. Fenty was far from Rihanna’s lingerie line Savage X Fenty or her makeup line Fenty Beauty. By partnering with LVMH, Fenty set the precedence that it has established itself as a luxury brand.
Fenty released eight drops of collection, which all revolved around Rihanna's taste and style in fashion. Rihanna, the creative director, has the final say during the creation process of each collection. Some of the pieces are denim corset dresses, oversized suits with shoulder paddings, laced-up high heels, as well as an array of statement jewelry and sunglasses. The price ranges from $200 to $91, making it clear that it is not a brand made for her fans.
The price was too high, which led to the brand struggling to make a breakthrough as there was not enough support from her fanbase. It is safe to say that the brand would better cater to those who are in a similar financial bracket with Rihanna. An $800 dress is considered pricey by most. These prices have made the products inaccessible to many, and if Rihanna built Fenty as a brand for her fans, she needs to understand their target market and the financial bracket they are in.
Image: Fenty first release in 2020 via fenty.com
Going against 40-to-100+-year-old brands with a tremendous amount of success and unforgettable legacy has proved difficult for the fashion house to earn its place in the industry. Other LVMH brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Celine, have built strong brand awareness, customer loyalty, e-commerce and retail relationships, as well as global market share.
Fenty, on the other hand, felt rushed. There seemed to be a lack of research for the positioning of the products. LVMH may have banked on Rihanna's fame to push the brand, but they never went beyond Rihanna herself. It felt disjointed when the brand was clearly pushing her personal style and there was this limbo of "do we give customers full-on Rihanna looks or something completely fresh and new." Although they've gained initial traction with sunglasses sales and a sold-out collaboration with shoe designer Amina Muaddi, they still struggled to advertise the brand and keep buyersinterested.
The early infancy of the brand had a tiny marketing pump. While working with LVMH, it would've been expected that advertising would go above and beyond, but the brand chose to keep it low-key. They had two pop events at Bergdorf Goodman and Galeries Lafayette. Announcement of collection drops was reserved for the Fenty website and Instagram.
Unfortunately, the brand had decided to pause—a loss for the world's largest luxury group and Rihanna herself. However, as of right now, "LVMH and Rihanna reaffirm their ambition to concentrate on the growth and the long-term development of the Fenty ecosystem focusing on cosmetics, skincare and lingerie," LVMH and Rihanna said in their joint statement released to WWD.