WORDS BY ASHLEIGH GRIBBON
Celebrated for her music, her style and her seemingly limitless ability to push artistic boundaries, singer, actress and designer Rihanna Robyn Fenty is a creative powerhouse. In 2017, she added yet another string to her bow, in the form of her eponymous brand FENTY — a label that places body positivity and inclusivity in the spotlight.
Launched by French fashion conglomerate LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) — which also owns prestigious labels including Dior, Givenchy and Fendi — FENTY marked some important milestones for the luxury goods company. As CEO and artistic director, Rihanna is the first Black woman to helm one of its major fashion houses, and her label is the first of its kind to be created from scratch under the group. FARFETCH contributed to the list of firsts, too: it was the first luxury platform to launch FENTY, and has since had several exclusive collaborations with the brand.
The Paris-based brand has also sparked a new, revolutionary era for the luxury fashion industry as a whole. It’s a digital-first model and lives primarily online (aside from sporadic pop-up events), and drops special-edition ‘releases’ on a see-now, wear-now basis — opting to move away from the more traditional seasonal offering, whereby customers often have to wait months before shopping a runway collection.
This approach to innovation has translated into some of the most blockbuster fashion shows in the luxury space. The Savage x FENTY fall/winter 2019 performance during New York Fashion Week turned the traditional catwalk show on its head, featuring an all-star lineup both on and off stage. The show — which premiered on Amazon Prime — saw size-inclusive underwear modeled by Slick Woods, Laverne Cox and Cara Delevingne, accompanied by a soundtrack from DJ Khaled, Big Sean and A$AP Ferg.
Rooted in values of freedom, defiance and culture, FENTY maintains its dynamism through its clothing, shoes and accessories collections, which are designed to express every facet of a woman and her closet. Ahead of shopping the latest pieces — including a new shoe collection designed by Amina Muaddi, exclusive to FENTY and FARFETCH — find out more about the brand’s key styles, collaborations and sizing below.
Signature styles
FENTY has a few most-wanted styles to look out for throughout its clothing and shoe lines that come reworked each and every season. In clothing, this translates into the label’s strong offering of oversized, streetwear-inspired pieces, including split-hem hoodies, XL denim jackets and boxy graphic T-shirts — in Drop 01 of Release 6-20, the latter includes a reenergised update on the label’s signature ‘Immigrant’ print T-shirt. Another key detail to note throughout ready-to-wear, juxtaposing the brand’s often oversized aesthetic, is the sculpting, figure-hugging details that accent typically streetwear designs. The utility corset dress and gathered jersey dress from one of the label’s latest edits celebrate hourglass shapes — another nod to FENTY’s body-positive approach.
The luxury fashion brand’s footwear collection includes a few signature shapes each season – delivering a new take on much-loved styles with modern colourways and finishes. In boots, key styles include the Parachute boots, with their signature crinkle-effect finish, and the lace-up Corset boots which continue the lingerie influences found within ready-to-wear. The label’s heeled sandals edit was elevated further with Release 7-20: FENTY's first shoe collection co-designed with cult footwear designer, Amina Muaddi. The Braid Me Up sandals are one of the highlights from the debut partnership and feature the signature rounded heel and crystal-embellished lace ties that wrap around the leg. Shop the soon-to-sell-out styles from this latest drop, exclusive to FENTY and FARFETCH, below.
Fenty high-neck dress | Fenty Caged 105mm sandals | Fenty satin shirt dress | Fenty Caged 105mm sandals
Collaborations
While Rihanna’s mainline collections have featured covetable signature pieces, her FENTY fashion label’s white-hot collaborations have included some equally sought-after styles. Rihanna debuted her FENTY x Puma partnership at New York Fashion Week in 2016, having previously overseen the design and creative direction behind the sportswear brand’s fitness and training lines. The sports-meets-streetwear collection’s signature Puma creepers — which sold out in a few hours of their initial release — started the hype behind the line and its success continues now. In her second footwear collaboration, Rihanna partnered with legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik’s eponymous fashion house on a series of three collections. The third and final being the #SoStoned collection in 2017 – a glamorous footwear edit defined by barely there forms and multicoloured Swarovski crystal-adornments.
In ready-to-wear, the singer-turned-designer's next collaboration was in 2019 with A Sai Ta, the Fashion East graduate behind rising label ASAI. The visionary brand is loved for its heady prints and colours – a boundary-pushing aesthetic that influenced much of the capsule collection. And the partnerships have continued through to FENTY’s latest shoe offering, co-designed by cult footwear designer Amina Muaddi. A lifelong shoe obsessive and former celebrity stylist, Muaddi’s signature flared stiletto-heel designs are highly sought after and sell out almost instantly after the release of a new collection. Her unmistakable designs have been spotted on Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kendal Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Rihanna herself. Shop key styles from FENTY’s latest collection designed by Amina Muaddi, exclusively on FARFETCH, below.
FENTY’s designer collaborations have created excitement around the brand since its inception, and none more so than the label’s partnership with the TechStyle Fashion Group in the spring of 2018, which led to the creation of Savage x FENTY — Rihanna’s first lingerie line. A celebration of confidence and inclusivity, each seasonal collection promotes a body-positive message.
Fenty faux-leather shirt | Fenty Classified sunglasses | Fenty wide-leg jeans | Fenty Meshy 105mm sandals
FENTY sizing guide
FENTY’s inclusive approach translates into a broad size offering within ready-to-wear. Each piece in the collection aligns to the universal clothing standard and, generally speaking, fits true to size across these conversions. On FARFETCH, FENTY’s sizing goes up to an 3XL in universal standards — a UK size 18, Italian size 50, and a size 46 in French measurements — and it’s recommended that you opt for your regular size. However take note that many of the label’s streetwear-inspired pieces, such as the hoodies, jackets and T-shirts, tend to be designed in an oversized fit, which is worth considering when shopping for these styles. Please note that this is only a guide based on FARFETCH’s sizing charts. Measurements vary slightly on FENTY’s own website.
FENTY shoe sizing guide
When it comes to FENTY’s covetable footwear edit — from the Parachute and Corset boots, to the Power Point heels and Braid Me Up sandals — the label’s designs fit true to traditional Italian sizing. A size 38 measures up to a UK size 5, US size 8 and a size 38 in French sizing, for example. While this is the case throughout the label’s mainline collections, the FENTY x Puma collaboration is available in US sizing, which converts across international sizing charts in the same way.