Rihanna Launches 'Fenty' with LVMH *Update February 2021* Now Closing the Luxury Brand

[Benn98]

I mean, COVID or not, this idea (I don't even want to call it a brand) was doomed from the start. If it didn't work for Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez, why would it work for Rihanna? She'd have been better off doing the occasional collab with Gap or H&M and slowly build the respect just like every other designer.

Rihanna is actually coming away from this relatively unscathed because she didn't have the majority stake and the underwear and beauty labels are still thriving. So she'll be fine. The general population will have forgotten about this by the time another album make the rounds. But LVMH will have to live the embarrassment after investing so much to get it off the ground. It's as clear as daylight what happened here - they got blinded by all the 'likes', all the hype every time she dropped Fenty underwear and saw dollars. Instead it was just, well....hype?
Can't say I feel sorry because the reality is that all the time, effort and cash injection could have been reserved to support an actual talented designer.

Fenty shutting down is not a loss for fashion. Carly Cushnie was.

 

[reese06]

The brand was such a non event that no one will remember this even happened in the long run. Lesson learned for all involved.

 

[apple]

The fact that she is talented as a singer does not mean she could also be talented as a fashion designer.

Talented as a singer.. might be too much as well and I say it as a big fan of Rihanna, even if mostly because of her persona.

Anyway, I think Fenty was a failure from the start. Too expensive for the average fan, too urban for the ones who have the real money and spend on luxury. She should have stick with Puma collaborations, like Beyoncé x Adidas. It's not a surprise that Rihanna's other lines, beauty/skincare and lingerie are doing very well, especially beauty: they had a vision (inclusion) and the right price to reach the masses. I bought some of her beauty products and I was happy with them; if I had to buy some designer pieces I'd never think of Fenty..

Oh and I forgot to add that it's quite pathetic to say that the reason is COVID and the fact that the atelier is in Paris, the products are made in Italy, she is in America.. I mean every single production should shut down if the reason is that you can't keep up with the production chain. I don't think there's one product in this world that is made exclusively in one place. It's clear that the reason is that the brand did not workat all, no vision, no ideal woman, they were just overpiced clothes they tried to sell by putting Rihanna's name next to them. And while this might and actully does work for affordable mass products like make-up, it certainly can't with a top that costs 300$.

 

[HodanChloe]

We all saw this coming. What a waste of time, money and resources.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

Always lovely to see people slagging off a talented and incredible woman, but what's new on this forum.

Sorry but this is just fact. Fenty was not good: Rihanna invests as much time as Virgil Abloh with Louis Vuitton, undefined audience, the drops were a non event, the prices were insane for this little brand which did nothing notable.

At some point, it will be good that people accept criticism without some passive agressive response because I see you trying to say that there is misogyny. Who is next saying this is racist too ?
People did not buy Fenty. The only success they had was with accessories and more specifically with the shoes thanks to Amina Muaddi.

She does wonders with her lingerie and skincare brand though but fashion is a tough business and she failed.

 

[LoveFashion25]

Not shocked by this at all!

 

[Lola701]

She was wearing more of other people’s designs than her own! At least Victoria Beckham put some efforts into promoting her own struggling operation!

I hope this is a lesson. Fashion is a serious affair. You cannot do it half way through and even with the best partners, it can fail.

I really think FENTY had a potential to sell but only if it was about items that her audience could afford: T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Sunglasses...

I said it earlier...The designs were challenging. Those were very risqué clothes for people who have regular jobs and who have Fashionova to source them for those types of clothes.

‘The problem with celebrities is that fashion is mostly a vanity project for them and an opportunity for a valuable source of income for others. I think that in this era of « supporting black designers » claimed on social media, it could have been great to use that name as a hub for actual designer while crediting them...
But it was all a vanity project.

This is Rihanna’s second failure in fashion (Fenty by Puma was only successful in footwear) so, she should just be an unofficial ambassador for LVMH’s brands...(I can see Kim Jones snatching her for Fendi) and give us good music to enjoy.

Actually, Fenty had been cursed since its inception two years ago to the day of closing. I believe the sales were relatively low due to the price point and the overall aesthetic of the brand. Hence, I'm not surprised at all that LVMH wanted to end this disaster as soon as possible. What's more, I feel like Patou will be the next brand to close.

Patou feels like a charity project. I would be insulted if I was Guillaume Henry. I just hope that the sales of JOY (by Dior) covered the price of the actual brand...

 

[Scotty]

Now that is what I call a FLOP!

 

[THD96]

I hope this is a wake up call for Rihanna because this is what happened when you fly to close to the sun. I don't think she have a vision that strong enough to create her own house. Just because you have a good stylist and good connection with the suits doesn't mean you need to create a fashion brand.

Almost every celebrities fashion house were fail from the get go (remembered House of Dereon ). Because they still treat it's as a vanity, a side project to upscale their image to the public. Stella Mccartney is the only one that seem to be serious about this. She is smart, she set herself apart from her peers by going with the sustainable cruelty-free route.

Not everybody can be Karl or even Virgil. Despite doing a thousand jobs Karl main job is still a designer, the other were just his vanity. Even him can make his own house relevant so just because you are successful doesn't mean you have Midas touch. Virgil success because purely of hype.

She seem to invest in her lingeries and beauty/skincare brand now anyway. One less distraction, now give us some music girl.

 

[Mathewthew]

I know celebrities help boost the sales and stuffs. I've seen buyers asked brands who will they dress this season and which items are they pushing etc. But it's probably a few pieces from the collection and you need more than that to survive. It's a business and you have to be serious about it, there's too many other options with the same price range and i only remember I hear news about FENTY during the launched. They never really develop them as a brand. At least Victoria Beckham is trying her best to do that.

 

[PierreGotha]

Even to this day the brand lacks a clear vision or direction. What does the brand represent besides being a "Pop Star's Brand" ?

Her fans can't afford it and the ones who can would rather spend it on brands that are more established.

 

[donyan]

Does the whole Instagram thing of Follows equals Sales actually work ? If you have as many followers as Rihanna / Fenty then surely a fraction of these people will buy right ? Me personally I have never bought a single thing off Instagram , it actually puts me off , and I block insistent advertising . I’m just wondering if it isn’t all a big scam really, with Mr Zuckerberg laughing all the way to the bank

 

[Urban Stylin]

Unfortunately this was inevitable, how many people have you seen wearing Fenty? The prices and designs just weren't realistic, only her and supermodels could pull off many of those designs and they already have access to some of the word's best designer clothes. I believe LVMH is to blame in this case considering that they have a whole team that researches the market, looks at trends and the like. How did everyone else see what was wrong and how did they miss the signs from the get go? Celebrities cant create Luxury fashion houses,you need to be 100% designer because its a very tricky world and even those with hype need to still give attention to the brand. instead she would have released an affordable clothing and accessories drop based off her successful beauty and makeup line and taken advantage of the hype.

 

[Alien Sex Friend]

it was obvious from the very beginning. I luv Riri, but her passion for moneymaking isn't always profitable. Celebs can do mass market really well (lingerie, cosmetics, sportswear) - all high margin products with less creativity, more articles and colorways, here their name/ insta account, personal style can serve as a base for selling pieces for fans and just shopaholics from department stores and shopping centers. I can recall only Vicky Beckham (however her things aren't really going well after pandemic as far as i recall) and Olsen twins with their The row - only them can afford luxury.

 

[LoveFashion25]

I wish celebrities would stop trying to be designers.!

 

[90sFan]

did this ever even hit the stores!?

 

[Lola701]

did this ever even hit the stores!?

It was never the point actually...
They did pop-ups and that’s all...

 

[Luz]

I'm so tired of her. Nothing innovative besides her shade range in her Fenty Beauty. I literally am so tired of her. Sure, her music was alright at the club, that's it. Now, she's just an annoying fly I wanna open the window for to fly away and forget.

 

[badgalcrush]

Very interesting video about Rihanna's marketing strategy and why Fenty flopped

I wish it had subtitles in english



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