Rihanna Debuts First Fashion Collection For Puma At New York Fashion Week

Rihanna is a chameleon. She’s a singer slash music video director and now, a fully fledged designer who can do no wrong it seems (she even surprised us all by going in a bold new direction with her latest album ANTI). She’s made no secret of her intent to conquer the runway; she collaborated with River Island, has had a high-profile role as one of Dior’s ambassadors, and she’s trademarked her name and announced plans for a beauty line.

However on Friday, it was fashion that took centre stage as the superstar unveiled her first collection – FENTY PUMA by Rihanna – at New York Fashion Week. And if anyone was going to nail sexy leisurewear, it was going to be Rihanna.

The megastar is the women’s creative director of Puma, and this was her first fashion show for the label, and the collection undoubtedly had her stamp on it; it was a street-inspired, striking departure from Puma’s usual sport-ready performance wear.

Puma has a strong sports heritage, but even Rihanna admitted she changed their usual aesthetic for her first collection. ?They are not ?gym clothes,? per se. They’re not performance wear,? she told The New York Times. ?But everything was inspired by some sporty, street-sport, casual vibe. I tried to intertwine all of those things with a little bit of fashion. I tried to push the envelope a little bit in terms of what Puma has done in the past and also what they’re comfortable with doing.?

The 27-year-old described her collection as ?heavy on Japanese-inspired streetwear in almost exclusively black and white with a Gothic undertone.? As befitting a collection for Puma, it, of course, featured sneakers, many with high stacked platforms.

She added that her dream was to see people wearing her clothes on the street.?That will be the day. The only thing that can make me feel better than tonight is to see somebody else wearing my stuff on the street. Down the street, on Instagram. Instagram’s pretty much down the street at this point.?

?I just wanted things to reflect me, what was on my mind, how I feel and what I want to wear right now,? she added.

See Rihanna’s collection in our gallery above.