When thinking of Rihanna’s brands, Fenty Beauty or the Savage X Fenty lingerie line comes to mind for many. Some might also recall that Rihanna has collaborated with both Puma and Manolo Blahnik over the years. However, the singer is responsible for another retail venture that has been in recent news: Fenty Fashion House. News broke on Feb. 10 that Rihanna’s clothing line will cease operations indefinitely. Both Fenty Fashion House and Fenty Beauty are owned by LVMH, a French corporation that owns other luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Givenchy.
Fenty Fashion House debuted in May 2019, capturing the attention of many as LVMH tends to only work with already established brands and “the last time they launched a new brand was Christian Lacroix in 1987” according to Forbes. One of Rihanna’s initial collections consisted of luxury ready-to-wear items such as hoodies priced at $300, which differ greatly from the singer’s more affordable Savage X Fenty brand. Not only did Fenty Fashion House make history as one of the few start-up brands from LVMH, but “Rihanna was the first Black woman to head an original brand with LVMH” as explained by CNN.
Things soon took a turn for the brand that was once projected to do well when the market for luxury clothing took a hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fenty Fashion House is not the only retailer facing the repercussions of the pandemic, something that was made evident as CNN reports “a market report by consulting firm McKinsey found that fashion sales dipped dramatically in 2020.” Aside from the demand for luxury clothing subsiding during the pandemic, Fenty Fashion House experienced difficulty in production before all else. LVMH is a French conglomerate, which made travel back and forth to Europe for design and production meetings complicated.
Despite fashion sales declining and the demise of Fenty Fashion House, Rihanna’s other business ventures have performed exceptionally well. Forbes revealed that in the past year, Savage X Fenty “experienced explosive revenue growth of over 200%” while many other retailers have struggled. This surge in intimates sales and the downfall of luxury clothing in 2020 could be explained by the nation-wide lockdowns many countries implemented as a response to the pandemic. Nonetheless, Savage X Fenty has found success amongst younger generations because of the brand’s affordability—with “thongs selling for less than $10”—and inclusive sizing range.
Moreover, Fenty Beauty and the newly launched Fenty Skin line have also seen high sales recently as Women’s Wear Daily reported that the latter “racked up sales of $30 million in less than four months” via its online store. Similar to the inclusive sizing offered by Savage X Fenty, the Fenty Beauty line also gained notoriety when it launched in 2017, releasing a foundation that came in 40 different shades for customers of all skin tones. The success of these brands can be credited to the fact that they are U.S.-based, making it easier to continue productions throughout the pandemic. The future of Fenty Fashion House is unknown; however, Rihanna has the success of her existing brands and upcoming projects to fill the void.
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