RIHANNA THE BILLIONAIRE
Star strikes it rich on make-up, not music
IN A rag trade to riches story, Rihanna – who sold clothes in a street stall as a child – was named the world’s wealthiest female musician yesterday.
However, it wasn’t music that boosted her fortune to an estimated £1.2billion, but her successful Fenty Beauty line.
Only Oprah Winfrey is worth more as a female entertainer, with a wealth of around £1.9billion.
Rihanna, 33, famous for hits including Umbrella and We Found Love, has a 50 per cent stake in Fenty Beauty with French luxury goods brand LVMH.
It generated an estimated £395million in revenue just a year after launching in 2017, and beat fellow celebrity brands including Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, Kim Kardashian West’s KKW Beauty and Jessica Alba’s Honest Co.
Fenty Beauty now counts for £1billion of Rihanna’s net worth and is estimated to be worth £2billion.
The singer, who was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados, launched the cosmetics line with 40 shades of foundation to represent all skin types, a move that was widely praised. She said: ‘That was really important for me for every product. I kept saying, “There needs to be something for a darkskinned girl, there needs to be something for a pale girl, there needs to be something for everyone in between”.’
She adopted the same philosophy for her lingerie line Savage X Fenty, which is worth an estimated £194million.
Its fashion shows put diverse models of varying races, sizes and genders on the catwalk. Writing on Instagram this week, she said: ‘We don’t just sell panties... we represent the culture!’