Rihanna and French fashion collective LVMH announced Wednesday that they are suspending Fenty Fashion House just two years after its debut.
The 32-year-old fashion mogul said the hiatus is a collaborative decision "pending better conditions,” according to CNN Style. LVMH, which represents brands like Dior, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Hennessy, and Louis Vuitton, will work with Rihanna in building other Fenty brands like the skincare line Fenty Skin and her lingerie line, Savage X Fenty.
When Fenty Fashion House first launched in 2019, the fashion mogul became the first Black woman to lead an original brand within the LVMH conglomerate. At the time of the venture’s premier, the “Only Girl In World” singer noted that it was a “special opportunity” with “no artistic limits,” per CNN.
In a statement to Pitchfork, LVMH officials revealed that despite the news about Fenty Fashion House, Fenty’s lingerie line was able to successfully acquire more than $100 million in fundraising efforts.
“Following the completion of a fundraising round where L Catterton has taken a stake into Savage X Fenty, LVMH and Rihanna reaffirm their ambition to concentrate on the growth and the long-term development of Fenty ecosystem focusing on cosmetics, skincare and lingerie,” the statement read.
Running parallel to her humanitarian and philanthropy efforts, Rihanna’s Fenty brands have been praised for embracing body-positivity and self love. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month , Savage X Fenty presented special capsule offerings that highlighted Black breast cancer survivors.
The fashion brand said in a statement that the company would donate $250,000 to the Clara Lionel Foundation from the sales of the fall capsule, Blavity previously reported.
"In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are highlighting Survivors & Thrivers of breast cancer. With every BCA style purchased, a portion of the net proceeds will be donated to the Clara Lionel Foundation to fund critical research and support members of the Black Community who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, an underrepresented group within the health care system," the company's statement read.
The survivors featured in the campaign were thrilled to be heavily involved in the efforts, with some women expressing how rewarding it felt to share their story and highlight issues affecting women of color.
"What was … great was having to bring things to light and to share my personal journey. Black and brown concerns in the health care system and how there is a need for more representation in our communities,"Cayatanita Leiva said.
In 2012, Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in honor of her grandparents Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. The foundation works to bring primary and secondary education programs to Malawi, Barbados and Senegal, as well as emergency response programs to the Caribbean and other under-resourced communities around the world.
Although she’s redirecting her efforts, it appears Rihanna has big plans for the future of Fenty. In October 2020, Savage X Fenty held a fashion show that premiered on Amazon Prime with appearances from Travis Scott, Rosalía, Bad Bunny, and other notable celebs.
