Barbados-born singer, songwriter and actor Rihanna introduced her latest Fenty by PUMA collection at New York Fashion Week with plenty of style: It kicked off with three bikers revving their motorcycles and doing backflips over an elevated pile of millennial pink sand.
The name of the 3-year-old line, incidentally, comes from Rihanna’s own: Her full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
The spring/summer 2018 collection blends beach chic with motorsport sexy, and luxury with sport. The collection “is a mix between two worlds: motocross and surf,” she said. “It was a challenge to bring them together, but it ended up being the perfect combination.”
True to the line’s DNA, Rihanna continues to play with gender-fluid silhouettes and oversized shapes paired with sexy body-conscious styles. Perennial collection favorites are reimagined in seasonal-appropriate fabrics and colors.
The classic Track Suit is updated with a surf-inspired twist — neon bungee cords and super-lightweight, rubber-coated leather. The iconic laced leggings are refashioned with bungee cords and cutouts in pop colors ranging from cherry tomato, bae and evening blue. Details include two never-before-seen images of Rihanna in funky executions like triptych and distorted checkerboard overlays featured on best-selling styles like the crew neck long-sleeve tees, short-sleeve tees and oversized hoodies.
The collection introduces swimwear with curve-hugging mono-kinis and body-confident bikinis. Swimwear pieces pair with such summer apparel must-have’s as terry-toweling hoodies, oversized graphic sweatshirts, and basketball and booty shorts. The neon hits, wet-look gel prints, wetsuit pullers and rubber patch details throughout the collection are a nod to throwback surf and extreme watersport culture.
Paying homage to PUMA’s history in motorsports, Rihanna turns classic performance-racing gear into runway-ready looks with lightweight leathers, nylon and air-tech mesh. Technical race suits and driving pants rendered with checkered-flag graphics, sporty decals and motorsport gear go from forever faster to forever fashion.
The newest version of her popular Creeper sneaker features neoprene materials, gravity-defying translucent stacked soles and bungee-cord laces. Sexy thong-heeled sandals, ankle-strap heels and bungee cord lace-up shoes feature a split PUMA cat on the heel. Also new are slides designed as espadrille slip-ons and a combo leather-neoprene neon pool slide. Boots in deep forest green, triple black and golden beige come with sock-like and bungee cord features and rich supple suede.
Exaggerated carryalls, a metallic puffy barrel bag, surfer ankle straps and chokers are splashed with Fenty-PUMA branding. Summer visors and classic baseball caps with branded nylon webbing and rubber-coated clips complement dye-cut logo headwear and buckets. The unique scuba duffle, an array of backpacks and a giant bum bag round out the season’s accessories.
The Fenty PUMA by Rihanna spring/summer ’18 collection will reach lifestyle and fashion retailers in March.
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