Rihanna returned to her side line as a fashion designer last night when she took to the catwalk at New York Fashion Week.
Unveiling her debut collection for Puma, the singer who has previously collaborated with British retailer River Island, enlisted an army of a-list models and front row that included Naomi Campbell and Anna WIntour to assist her in her latest foray in the fashion world.
The collaboration - christened Fenty x Puma after the Barbadian musician’s family name - is an almost entirely black and cement grey offering which sees Rihanna’s own penchant for oversized parkas and short stretchy dresses injected with a hit of Nineties glamour.
Key pieces include branded hooded sweaters, sheer long sleeve tops and a tailored take on track pants. Stretchy knit dresses, low slung boxer shorts and rucksacks crafted from bomber jackets were also unveiled.
A homage to her own personal style, the show was awash with knitted beanies and oversized earrings and came with all the attitude of the average Rihanna video.
With strong roots in sportswear, this collection suggested a sort of sexed up version of the ‘health goth’ had also been Rihanna’s inspiration. But there was also strong evidence to suggest that the singer had been looking to her favourite designers when creating the collaboration.
Wet look white paint was sprayed on the heads of the models evoking Alexander Wang’s favoured aesthtic while hooded tops hosting the Fenty logo seemed to take their lead from of the moment French label Vetements of which Rihanna is a fan.
Of course, it is Rihanna’s involvement with this collection that will ensure that it sells like hotcakes.
Much like Kanye West who showcased his latest adidas collection on thursday, Rihanna is shrewd when it comes to understanding how to entice her fans to buy into a brand.
It is this that will ensure her partnership with Puma will suceed in placing the often overlooked sportswear brand back on to the agenda - for fashion and Rihanna fans alike.
