Rihanna at the 2016 Brit Award. Photo by Getty Images
Singer Rihanna is back to work, work, work as usual, this time landing a deal with Kendo, a division of LVMH Moët Hennesy Louis Vuitton, to develop her very own makeup line.
According to WWD magazine, LVMH paid an estimated $10 million to make the deal happen. The collection, called Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, is set to hit stores in the fall of 2017.
“Fenty Beauty by Rihanna is a beauty rocket ship that will appeal to a huge and diverse global audience,” said David Suliteanu, chief executive officer of Kendo. “We are aiming for the stars.”
Lately, anything and everything associated with the “Four Five Seconds” singer has rocketed to success. Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, serves as the creative director of PUMA and recently debuted a new sneaker for her Fenty x PUMA collection. According to an analyst from the German sportswear company, there was a 40 percent increase in U.S. sales of its women’s shoes last year, directly associated with the September release of the singer’s Creeper line of shoes.
Fenty has also produced seven fragrances for Parlux Ltd. and teamed up with MAC Cosmetics on a four-part, limited-edition RiRi Hearts MAC color cosmetics line. And her most recent album, “Anti,” just moved back up to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart, according to Billboard.com.
Rihanna’s makeup brand is the third major color cosmetics deal launched by Kendo, coming behind Kat Von D Beauty and Marc Jacobs Beauty. The singer will also have lots of leeway and creative control in the development of her collection.
Fenty isn’t the only star developing makeup for women of all shades, however. Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, also has a cosmetics line in the works.
“My makeup artist Sheika Daley and I are actually starting a makeup line. We’re making sure we make, well, we’re starting off with lashes and then we’re going to have it grow for all women,” Rowland told Essence. “But definitely making sure we have our chocolate girls covered. Gotta get the chocolate girls in there! We have to have that, you know. I think Iman has done a beautiful makeup line and I want to do it too!”
Rowland said she’s had trouble finding the right shade of makeup to compliment her darker complexion.
Kerry Washington, star of the ABC drama “Scandal,” also announced the expansion of Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Liquid makeup collection. The line will include four new shades (Honey, Caramel, Cocoa and Chestnut) to provide more makeup options for women of color.
