smartcybers786@gmail.com 
#Rihanna #teams #LVMH #launch #luxury #fashion #brand
PARIS: Pop idol Rihanna said on Friday that she will become the first black woman to head the house for the French giant, teaming up with LVMH to launch her own luxury fashion brand in the spring.
The new luxury house will be named after Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the full name of the Barbados-born superstar, who already has her own hugely successful Fenty sportswear and Savage lingerie labels.
The world’s largest fashion company LVMH, owned by industry titan Bernard Arnault, said the brand would be based in Paris and create ready-to-wear clothes, shoes and accessories.
“Mr. Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to create a fashion house in the luxury sector, which has no artistic boundaries,” said Rihanna.
“I couldn’t imagine a better partner, creatively and business-wise, and I’m ready to let the world see what we’ve created together.”
Rumors have swirled for months that LVMH, which owns iconic brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Givenchy, is assembling a group of top designers for the project.
Arnault on Friday confirmed the rumours, saying LVMH has assembled a “talented and multicultural” team to support Rihanna’s new brand.
With her massive fan base and close to 170 million social media followers, Rihanna is one of the most powerful style influencers on the planet.
A new mass luxury label — especially one led by a black woman — is a huge development in the fashion world.
The upper part of the market is traditionally surrounded by historic French and Italian houses.
Despite its dominance, LVMH has not launched a luxury brand since Christian Lacroix in 1987.
Fashion insiders say the first creations for Rihanna’s new line are likely to be unveiled later this month.
A regular on the front row of fashion shows, and most notably at Dior in Paris, the singer has proven herself to be a prolific creator.
Along with her existing Fenty sportswear line, Rihanna boosted sales at Puma when she became its creative director, and she also dipped her toe into lingerie.
Its Fenty Beauty operation — which also included a hookup with LVMH — racked up more than $100 million in sales within weeks of its 2016 launch.
“Everyone knows Rihanna as a wonderful singer, but through our partnership at Fenty Beauty, I discovered a true entrepreneur, a true CEO and a wonderful leader,” LVMH’s Arnault said in a statement.
Rihanna is not the only pop icon who has become a player in the fashion industry. Beyoncé, who has her own Ivy Park and House of Darien labels, signed a deal with German sportswear giant Adidas last month.
He already has a deal with rapper Kanye West, who has his own Yeezy brand, and has made no secret of his desire to lead a major Parisian fashion house.
Fashion industry bible Women’s Wear Daily has speculated that Rihanna’s luxury brand could launch alongside her ninth album.
The singer has been teasing the release of her long-awaited follow-up to her double-platinum 2016 album “ANTI” for months.
She told a BBC television chat show last June that she was in the studio working on it, and her best friend Jennifer Rosales said in March that the album was finished.
Black designers have been making dramatic inroads into the fashion industry of late, with American Virgil Abloh being the most talked about designer at recent Paris Fashion Weeks.
Abloh, whose parents hail from Ghana, now heads LVMH’s prized Louis Vuitton menswear line as well as his own formidable off-white label.
Rihanna, who rose to fame with her “Music of the Sun” and “Good Girl Gone Bad” albums, is locked in a legal battle with her father over the use of the Fenty name.
Rihanna is suing her father, Ronald Fenty, for using the family name in his company, Fenty Entertainment.
Forbes magazine estimated the singer’s net worth at $210 million last year.
