Shortly after its design collaboration with eclectic artist Solange, Puma announced that Rihanna would also be joining the company as their new Women’s Creative Director and the Global Ambassador for Women’s Training. In the news release, Puma revealed that in addition to offering her style sense, Rih Rih would also “play a starring role in PUMA’s brand campaign, Forever Faster and be featured along with many of PUMA’s world-class athletes such as Usain Bolt and Sergio Aguero.” This
new business deal with the longstanding German sportswear brand is a reflection of Rihanna’s strong business skill outside of her artistry. This is no new terrain for the international pop icon, either. Since her career takeoff in 2005, Rihanna has made multiple partnerships with mega brands, particularly of the beauty and fashion industry: CoverGirl, MAC, Balmain, and River Island, among others. 2014 experienced record lows in music sales, so taking your business into the boardroom of mega brands is a wise strategy if you’re an artist.Check out these other powerhouse celebrity women and their business partnerships with fashion’s finest.
Nicki Minaj for Roberto Cavalli
It was just announced that Nicki Minaj is the new face of Italian luxury fashion house Roberto Cavalli’s Spring 2015 campaign. The fashion images, shot by photographer extraordinaire Francesco Carrozzini, show a fierce Ms. Minaj in long and flowy dresses. The campaign is one of many exciting career moves for Nicki, as she just hopped on the “Flawless” remix with Beyoncé and released her own album, The Pink Print
. She was the only woman to make it on Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings list due to her estimated $14 million cash out this year.
Beyoncé for TopShop
In her latest deal with British brand TopShop, Beyoncé proves again why she is music’s highest paid woman. Usually when celebrities take on role of designer, they either launch a small and freestanding brand, or they rent their name, and all the glory that comes with it, to a retailer. Instead, Beyoncé and TopShop did a 50-50 deal, which will result in more lucrative benefit. The new collaboration will feature “athleisure†wear, a much fancier take on athletic and lounge apparel.Erykah Badu for Givenchy
Cool lovers of fashion, hip-hop, and R&B went on an Instagram repost frenzy when photos of Erykah Badu modeling as the new face of haute couture French brand Givenchy made their way to the Internet. The singer was a welcomed but shocking choice since major fashion houses aren’t exactly known for their diversity. Badu is most often seen sporting a natural hairstyle and bohemian chic tribal-esque attire—a drastic variant from the images we see in the high fashion business. Riccardo Tisci, the brand’s designer, receives much praise for his intentional use of celebrities and models of color.