Rihanna takes the fashion industry by storm with new Fenty x Puma collaboration
BY MOLLY WINDING
Rihanna's latest work of creative genius surprisingly enough has nothing to do with her killer pipes, rather, it has everything to do with her Puma collaboration. The singer-turned-fashion designer is undoubtedly taking the athletic wear brand to new heights, blazing the trail for Puma to really make a name for itself in the fashion space. The timing for such a collaboration is ideal, as every major design house is expanding their own lines to include pieces that fall under the increasingly popular 'athleisure' apparel category. Just yesterday we were introduced to Polo Ralph Lauren's new athleisure collection for women.
The Fenty x Puma collection features everything from oversized fur coats and fur backpacks to baggy sweatpants and asymmetrical maxi dresses, not to mention the famed 'Crawler' sneakers and sporty-looking stilettos.
Before taking in the spectacle that was the Fenty x Puma runway show, we chatted with Rihanna herself about her brand new collection. We wanted to know why Puma, of any brand the popstar could have paired with for her line?
"For me, they let me have a lot of room creatively," she said. "That was something that I couldn't buy. To be able to express yourself freely in a creative manner, it was special and it felt like the right place. I was excited to take on the challenge, and Puma, they've been around for a long time and they're a legit sports brand. I feel like we were a match made in heaven."
%shareLinks-quote="Any girl can be a Fenty girl as long as they enjoy who they are." type="quote" author="Rihanna" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday="false"%
It became clear during the runway show that the sportswear brand did, in fact, give her an enormous amount of leeway with her collection, which looks nothing like any Puma-branded item we've ever seen in the past.
"The vibe of the collection is street wear, like Japanese street culture but with gothic undertones," Rihanna said. "We use a lot of basic colors -- black, white, grey, because I wanted to keep it sporty. We stepped out of the sporty silhouettes sometimes, a lot of times stepped out of the sporty fabrics," she said. The singer was wearing a Fenty jacket over her gown, which was jersey lined but velvet on the outside.
"It's very different from anything Puma's ever done," the singer said, "and I'm excited to see what the fans of Puma and fashion think about it."
Despite that the Fenty collection was shown with models who donned black lipstick, white painted hair and white eyelashes, Rihanna ensured us that there is no one Fenty girl, and she certainly doesn't have to be goth to rock the line.
"I love women who enjoy who they are," she said. "Women who are confident and not afraid to be that, and even when they're shy, they just are shy. I love women who embrace who they are. We're all different but we're all here for a reason, so the Fenty girl, there's no one girl. Any girl can be a Fenty girl as long as they enjoy who they are."
With a brand message like that, we couldn't be happier for the über talented Rihanna, who's sure to continue to wow the fashion industry with her unique designs. We may have to wait for her Fenty collection to come out, but you can shop her favorite Puma products here.
Click through the gallery above to see some of the looks from the Fenty x Puma runway show, or click through the gallery below to see photos of Rihanna through the years.
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