Rihanna is set to reprise her role as the face of Christian Dior, industry sources said.
The Barbadian singer, actress and beauty entrepreneur â who was spotted in Paris fêteing Valentineâs Day last week with partner A$AP Rocky â came to the French capital to shoot a campaign at the Château de Versailles, lensed by Steven Klein and styled by Carine Roitfeld, BoF has learned.
Rihanna became Diorâs first Black ambassador in 2015, starring in a blockbuster accessories campaign for the brand, also shot by Klein and set in Versailles, that year. The partnership â which coincided with major brand projects including the âDior & Meâ documentary and the âDesigner of Dreamsâ fashion retrospective â helped anchor Diorâs cultural relevance as it navigated its second designer transition in less than 5 years.
Rihannaâs memorable Dior looks over the years have included extravagant pink capes, androgynous oversized suiting and a stomach-baring, see-through couture ensemble that made waves during her pregnancy in 2022.
While the scope of Rihannaâs new deal with Dior remains unknown, the Fenty Beauty founder did not attend the shows of other brands when she travelled to Paris for Diorâs January haute couture outing, suggesting that a renewed partnership could be in the works beyond the campaign. Representatives for Rihanna and Dior declined to comment.
As interest in luxury brands cools following a multi-year boom for the segment, fashionâs biggest names are accelerating efforts to stay in the cultural spotlight through brand ambassadorships that help reach an audience beyond fashion. LVMH stablemate Louis Vuitton announced Wednesday it had signed French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama; while Chanel recently signed K-pop star Minji.
Renewing its ties with Rihanna would be a boon to Dior, as the singer has long managed to cultivate both mainstream recognition and high-fashion clout. The brand is currently seeking to maintain industry-beating growth after a cycle of rapid expansion under former chief executive Pietro Beccari, during which revenues more than tripled in 5 years.
Under new CEO Delphine Arnault, the brand is targeting annual growth of 8 to 10 percent, LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault said in a January presentation to investors: more moderate than in previous years but higher than expectations for the broader luxury industry, which is set to grow by 1 to 4 percent in 2024 (slower than global inflation), according to Bain.
âThe goal is desirability⦠Itâs great what we did with Pietro these past few years with Dior. But weâve reached a stage such that we no longer need to have such high growth. Between 8 percent and 10 percent is perfect,â Arnault said.
