Rumour has it that the new Rihanna fashion line will come with clothing, leather goods and accessories and can be expected to arrive as soon as late this year.

Sneaky, sneaky, RiRi. Unbeknownst the world, it has just been discovered that Rihanna has been working on the down low with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy on a luxury fashion line.

This is both surprising and not surprising, given that LVMH is the one who developed the singer’s highly popular makeup line Fenty Beauty. The part no one saw coming is the one where said new fashion line will be built from scratch.

LVMH has built its impressive portfolio of luxury fashion brands that includes Christian Dior, Givenchy and others largely through acquisition. The same applies to its ownership in brands spanning champagne, cosmetics, and resort properties.

Rumour has it that the new Rihanna fashion line will come with clothing, leather goods and accessories and can be expected to arrive as soon as late this year, launched the same time as her ninth album.

We can see the reason behind LVMH’s interest in Rihanna. Since launching Fenty Beauty with her in September 2017 via its Kendo brand incubator initiative that promotes new products and labels, the makeup line has been growing rapidly. LVMH said in a statement in April last year that it expected the line to reap in US$500 million in retail sales by the end of 2018.

Inside sources from LVMH revealed to WWD that the conglomerate started putting together Rihanna’s fashion team approximately six months ago in Paris. It is being directly overseen by chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Fashion Group Sidney Toledano. They’ve described Rihanna as very hands-on and extensively involved in product development.

The singer’s close ties with LVMH spans all the way back to 2015 when she attended a Christian Dior show. She appeared in the fashion campaign ‘Secret Garden IV’ shot at one of CEO Bernard Arnault’s most treasured properties shortly after and premiered a range of futuristic sunglasses later, sealing herself the role of brand ambassador.

(Source: WWD)