"I Love Being Black"; Rihanna on Fenty First- Look and Fashion as a Woman of Color

Rihanna

You guys know how I feel about Black Owned anything at this point. Admittedly, what we are about to talk about, I personally have been waiting on bated breath for; Rihanna's foray into luxury. Her beauty line continues to set records and establish trends (if you don't believe me, think about what the foundation and concealer offerings used to be for women of color. We have come a long way, baby.), Puma was revitalized by their collaboration with her, and her lingerie line is both sexy and empowering to women of all shapes and sizes.

Rihanna's new line, Fenty, will be part of LVMH (short for Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), a luxury conglomerate that both owns and operates labels like Celine, Dior, and other fashion houses. With the release of this brand, it will make Rihanna, the first Black Woman to run a major luxury fashion brand.

What I love most about Rih is that she's so unapologetic about being the first. "It’s never alleviated, you know? You’re going to be black wherever you go. And 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." 

The 31-year-old Barbados native also points out other ways she stands out in a White Male dominated industry. "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 apologize 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."

Rihanna discusses the sizing of Fenty, which currently extends to size 14, something plenty of luxury brands STILL does not. "It just changed how I dress in terms of my proportions. You wear what looks good on you, and that’s it," she told T Magazine.

She explains "I’m thick and curvy right now, and 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 (U.S. size 14). We’re saying we can meet you at any one drop that we put out."

Fenty launches on May 24 with a pop-up in Paris and becomes available on Fenty's website May 29 and will be available exclusively online.