Let’s take a look at the business decisions that turned Rihanna from a pop princess to a billionaire. Follow along as we explore all of her business journey’s successful partnerships and collaborations.
Forbes estimates that Rihanna’s net worth stands at $1.7 billion.
She was the second richest female entertainer, after Oprah Winfrey, and the only musician who was recognized by Forbes as a billionaire, until Taylor Swift overlooked her a few days ago.
Her stake in the self-titled beauty company Fenty is currently valued at $1.4 billion; the company is reportedly valued at $3 billion overall.
By transitioning from being a celebrity ambassador to a brand owner, Rihanna acquired stakes in billion-dollar companies.
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Through her years of involvement in fashion business dealings, she has gone from creating her own collection with UK high street shop River Island to producing shoes with Manolo Blahnik.
Having said that, the following timeline details the fashion and cosmetics collaborations that helped her become one of the richest female singers globally.
Armani – Year: 2011
2011 saw Rihanna launch her debut fashion collection in collaboration with Armani Jeans and Emporio Armani Underwear. Shortly after she starred in Armani’s Fall/Winter 2011 campaign, the partnership was announced.
Slender jeans, graphic T-shirts, leather motorcycle jackets, and undergarments were all part of Rihanna’s debut collection for Armani. The next year, she continued to work with Armani to design one more collection.
Despite their brief partnership, Rihanna and Armani’s work undoubtedly cleared the path for other projects.
River Island – Year: 2013
Following her partnership with Armani, Rihanna contributed her creative skills to the clothing company River Island, situated in London.
Her first collection featured long sheer dresses with flowery prints, boiler suits, cut skirts, midriff shirts, leather trucker hats adorned with jewels, gray baseball jackets with leather sleeves, and layered denim jeans.
Her second collection for the company had more streetwear-inspired looks.
Puma – Year: 2014
The Bavarian company Puma announced in 2014 that Rihanna would serve as the creative director for its women’s collections, in a deal that is believed to be valued at more than $1 million.
The Fenty X Puma line, which featured her distinctive Puma Creepers that sold out in just three hours and increased US sales of Puma women’s shoes by 40%, was one of her successful partnerships with the company.
Stance -Year: 2015
Not exactly the first company you would assume Rihanna would officially partner with, but the two did officially join forces back in 2015. Stance is a well-known retailer of socks.
Rihanna demonstrated her creative power during the collaboration with pieces like fur-striped knee-high dresses, stockings with bows scaling the back of each leg, and sparkling lurex ankle socks with jingle bells around the ankle.
Manolo Blahnik – Year: 2016
Following her partnership with Puma, Rihanna went after a more exclusive shoe partnership with Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik.
A pair of thigh-high denim holster boots, which Blahnik claimed he had never considered working with before Rihanna arrived, summed up the duo’s debut collaboration.
Her thigh-high boots were a recurring theme in the second collection, and her last shoe design with Blahnik included shoes with rhinestone embellishments.
Dior – Year: 2016
When Rihanna starred in Dior’s “Secret Garden IV” campaign in 2015, she made history as the brand’s first Black ambassador.
One year after the historic partnership, Rihanna co-created a line of futuristic sunglasses with the company, subsequently becoming the first brand ambassador to launch a line of her own with the luxury brand.
Although Rihanna and Dior have not revealed the whole value of the partnership, it was a significant step away from Rihanna endorsing a brand and toward her own launch.
Chopard – Year: 2017
In May 2017, Rihanna collaborated with Swiss luxury jewelry brand Chopard to bring her perspective to the jewelry industry.
Inspired by her native Barbados, the nine-piece “Rihanna Love Chopard” collection included necklaces with rose gold and jungle green blocks, earrings with colorful gemstones suspended from flowers and butterflies, and 18-karat white ethical gold earrings certified as “Fairmined” diamonds.
Fenty Beauty – Year: 2017
Rihanna obtained a contract in 2016 to create the Fenty Beauty beauty collection through Kendo, an LVMH subsidiary.
Dedicated to upending the established beauty industry’s norms, Rihanna introduced the now-iconic Fenty Beauty line in 2017 with 40 foundation hues that covered the gamut of skincare needs.
After becoming well-known, the Fenty Beauty brand was included in Time Magazine’s list of the 25 Best Technology of 2017.
Savage X Fenty – Year: 2018
In 2018, a year following the debut of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna introduced her Savage x Fenty lingerie line.
The line celebrated all different kinds of bodies and sought to move the story in the direction of inclusivity and diversity.
TechStyle Fashion Group, the business behind direct-to-consumer brands like JustFab, FabKids, ShoeDazzle, and Fabletics, co-owns the brand. Additionally,
She collaborated with Amazon to make the Savage x Fenty fashion more accessible.
Fenty (LVMH) – Year: 2019
After Rihanna was seen in January 2019 sporting sunglasses bearing the Fenty logo, rumors circulated that she was establishing a whole line of clothing under the LVMH brand.
In a statement at the time, Rihanna expressed her appreciation to Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of LVMH, saying,
“Mr. Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits.”
In terms of creativity and business, I can’t think of a better partner, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we have created together.
On February 10, 2021, LVMH did, however, declare that they would halt the line.
Fenty Skin Care – Year: 2020
In 2020, Fenty Skin, a skincare product, was introduced by Rihanna, further expanding her business empire.
It was estimated at the time that the brand had amassed $30 million in sales on its online store in less than four months. demonstrating the Fenty brand’s phenomenal success in the future.
Diesel – Year: 2024
Rihanna sent the internet into a tizzy when she posted a new photo of herself on Instagram to announce a limited-edition collaboration between her brand, Savage X Fenty, and Italian fashion house Diesel.
This collaboration marks Diesel’s first foray into lingerie and promises to introduce a jaw-dropping limited-edition lingerie and apparel capsule designed under the creative direction of Rihanna.
The collection is available now in select Diesel and Savage X Fenty retail locations, at savagex.com and on diesel.com.
