Known mostly for her music career, Rihanna is one of the world’s most famous pop stars. But it’s her newest designing venture that is currently making headlines.
She’s spent most of her time this year establishing a career in fashion design, having a hand in designing both high-end boots with Manolo Blahnik and athletic footwear with Puma. Rihanna can now add sunglass design to her ever-growing list of achievements in the fashion industry.
Rihanna promoting her Dior sunglasses.Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
Stepping outside of her role as brand ambassador for Dior, a collaboration was announced between Rihanna and the luxury French label to create an eyewear range, with promotional photos being released this week.
The collaboration, between the fashion house and pop star, is the first time a Dior brand ambassador has also had a hand in design. Speaking out about the eyewear line and how it came to fruition, Rihanna explains thatthe design process was quite straightforward.
Rihanna promoting her eyewear range with Dior. Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
“I started by looking through all the archives to see what they’ve done in the past, then got acquainted with all the new materials. I literally sat there and drew and drew until I was happy with the design, and the team illustrated it for me right then and there.
We picked materials and colors that same day, and after that it was a matter of weeks before I saw the first prototype.”
While the promotional photos have been released, the sunglasses themselves will hit Dior shelves in June this year. The collection is a single frame in a variety of colours, which will be sold at US $840. There will also be a deluxe gold-plated version of the glasses, which will retail for $1,950.
The design for the eyewear range itself has a large sci-fi, tech-style feel to it, with Rihanna stating she drew inspiration from Star Trek’s La Forge. It’s definitely one of the better designs we’ve seen come from a celebrity collaboration with a major fashion houses. Its sleek style can serve as both the perfect accessory for everyday outfits or the missing piece to make your outfit pop depending on which frame you’re working with.
Blue Frames from Dior’s Rihanna glasses. Photo by Courtesy Photo
That being said there are some drawbacks to the eyewear. As with most celebrity designs, they simply aren’t all that practical for the everyday consumer. Sure, they could be the perfect accessory for an outfit, but you wouldn’t be wearing the kind of outfits celebrities such as Rihanna do, where glasses such as these make sense to wear. Not only that, but that whopping price tags means they’ll probably be sitting on your wishlist for a while.
Another thing to consider, for no other reason than it is simply the reality of celebrity endorsements and partnerships with major fashion labels, is how much involvement Rihanna actually had in the development of the line. While she may have had a hand in designing the glasses, it’s more than likely her involvement ends there and Rihanna may have little knowledge on the rest of the creative process.
For instance, the recent allegations that fellow pop star Beyoncé’s sportswear line was being made in sweatshops shed some much needed light on celebrity endorsements and collaborations, showing how little involvement the person whose name is tied to the brand may have at times. While that’s not to say the same can be said in the case of Rihanna and Dior, it does cast some doubt on an otherwise exciting new sunglass range.