Rihanna's Fenty Ads Were Inspired By 'The Black Is Beautiful' Movement

That Rihanna reign just won't let up. Yes her fans' cries for new music will go unheard for the foreseeable future, but we can understand why: Bad Gal Ri Ri is busy building an empire. Earlier this year, after Rihanna, 31, was spotted wearing a pair of Fenty-branded sunglasses, rumours swirled that she might have a new collaboration in the works. Finally, she revealed her plan was bigger than just a pair of sunnies but a brand new luxury line.

"Designing a line like this with LVMH is an incredibly special moment for us. Mr Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits. I couldn’t imagine a better partner both creatively and business-wise, and I’m ready for the world to see what we have built together” Rihanna told Business of Fashion.

Keep scrolling to learned everything you need to know about Rihanna's latest venture.

Rihanna's Maison’s debut, Release 5-19, paid tribute to Kwame Brathwaite, an American photographer known for documenting life and culture in Harlem. “When I was coming up with the concept for this release, we were just digging and digging and we came up with these images – they made me feel they were relevant to what we are doing right now,” Rihanna tells Vogue UK. Further, she tells the British fashion magazine, she shares another connection with the photographer. “Kwame Brathwaite is from Barbados! And, his last name is my grandfather’s name, which was my mother’s name before she was a Fenty.”

Simply called Fenty, her range of ready-to-wear, accessories, sunglasses, and jewellery will debut on May 24 in Paris (then be fully available at fenty.com on May 29). Rihanna has been secretly wearing the pieces for months. First the sunglasses, then some of the suiting.

Rihanna wanted to make a clear distinction between her music and other ventures. She didn't want to oversaturate the market and dilute her own personal brand. "I used Fenty so that you didn’t have to hear the word “Rihanna” every time you saw something that I did," she told T magazine. "So Rihanna stayed the music, the person. But these other brands are called Fenty."

The "Work" singer didn't want a situation where customers would see something on the runway and have to wait six months to buy it, so she's being as "disruptive as possible" with a 'see it, love it, have it' business model. "There is no runway show," she explained. "It’s a new way of doing things because I believe that this is where fashion is going to go eventually."

The collection will debut at a pop-up shop in Paris on May 24 but the rest of us can shop when it becomes available online at Fenty.com on May 29. From there, Rihanna tells T Magazine, we can expect new additions every few weeks, like "singles from an album." This is a luxury brand that will focus on direct-to-consumer online sales.

Rihanna is introducing her line to the world with structured silhouettes in subdued neutrals that emphasize strong shoulders, cinched waists and exposed legs (at least to start). "I use myself as the muse. It’s sweatpants with pearls, or a masculine denim jacket with a corset," she explained to T Magazine.

Brace yourself: Fenty will be sold at a luxury price point. T Magazine published a first look at the collection, and prices varied from $420 for a brass ear cuff and $480 for sunglasses, to $1,100 for a denim corset and $670 sandals (UK prices TBC).

“I’m thick and curvy right now," said Thiccanna (fans' loving nickname for Rihanna at her curviest). "So if I can’t wear my own stuff then, I mean, that’s not gonna work, right? And my size is not the biggest size. It’s actually closer to the smallest size we have: We go up to a [French size] 46” — a size equivalent to a UK 20 — “We’re saying we can meet you at any one drop that we put out.” While not super extensive, Fenty's size range is still a rarity in luxury fashion. We're pretty sure the designer has plans to expand eventually, like she did with Savage X Fenty — a just and inclusive queen.

Yes, this is a huge deal. With this announcement, Rihanna becomes the first Black woman at the helm of a LVMH Maison and the first woman, Black or otherwise, to launch an original brand at the conglomerate. It's not something she takes lightly, either.

“It’s never alleviated, you know? You’re going to be Black wherever you go,” she explained to T of the racism she faces in the fashion industry. “I don’t know if it’s unfortunate or fortunate, because I love being Black. So, sorry for those who don’t like it — that’s the first thing you see before you even hear my voice."

She also revealed that she faces discrimination because of her gender and age. "There are also other factors: I’m young. I’m new to the family. I’m a woman. Those factors do come into play, but I will not apologise for them, and I will not back down from being a woman, from being Black, from having an opinion. I’m running a company and that’s exactly what I came here to do."

In short: plot your shopping attacks now because items are expected to go fast.