Business of Fashion and Women’s Wear Daily report that Rihanna and LVMH have chosen to end the Fenty fashion line. In a statement to WWD, an LVMH rep said LVMH and Rihanna “have jointly made the decision to put on hold the RTW activity, based in Europe, pending better conditions” although the statement adds the caveat that the partners “haven’t ruled out taking a second run” at the line in the future.
The line was first rumored in January of 2019 and announced in May, with Rihanna saying at the time, 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.”
However, it seems that the timing of the line didn’t quite align with the business partners’ stated goals. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit, shutting down world economies and pretty much reducing the concept of “style” to “changing your sweatpants more than once a week” as work, school, and socializing all moved online and socially distant. It’s not all bad news, though. According to the reports, a recent round of fundraising generated $115 million to expand the Fenty X Savage lingerie line to retail — i.e. brick-and-mortar stores. Whether that’ll be through specialty Savage stores or placement in other spaces remains to be seen, but it looks like fans will have something else to look forward to as they continue to bother the superstar for her next album.