Rihanna at the launch celebration for FENTY and Bergdorf Goodman's new partnership on Feb. 7, 2020 in New York.
Dimitrios Kambouris and Anna Webber, Getty Images.
New York City served as a celebratory backdrop on Friday night (Feb. 7), as Rihanna transformed the Fifth Avenue Bergdorf Goodman into her personal party. The occasion? The multi-hyphenate superstar — along with Linda Fargo, svp of fashion and store presentation for the luxury department store — hosted an event in honor of Bergdorf’s new partnership with FENTY.
The evening doubled as both a New York Fashion Week celebration and the official launch of Rihanna’s first fashion collection of the year, dubbed “Release 2-20.”
The windows on Fifth Avenue showcased FENTY’s latest “Freedom” campaign, but inside the store buzzed with all the high-profile action. The confines of the store turned into a nightclub as droves of Rihanna’s fans, fashion designers, jewelers, and other influencers mingled and downed cocktails at the open bar while diving into hors d’oeuvres, like codfish bites and tart pastries, all night.
DJ Kitty Cash provided the night’s lively atmosphere, spinning tunes old and new, from Roddy Ricch (“The Box”) to TLC (“No Scrubs”). The attendees cheered as each song played as they danced their way past the event’s end time of 11 p.m. At one point, Cash left her booth to join the crowd for classic party-starter Faith Evan’s Fatman Scoop-remixed “Love Like This Before.”
Mannequins draped in a few pieces from Rihanna’s first-ever clothing line were scattered throughout the store. Although it was packed, guests got the chance to see some of the collection up close, which included an oversized padded denim jacket, a turtleneck sweater, a high-neck printed t-shirt and more.
In a separate section, the full lineup was on display. Many of the items are oversized and feature a saturated orange, yellow, and olive color palette. Ribbed jumpers, hoodies, leather skirts, shirtdresses and more filled racks while accessories like gold-rimmed sunglasses, metallic ankle boots, and black-and-white heeled leather shoes were on a stand.
Once Rihanna arrived at the party around 10:30 p.m., madness ensued as people made it their mission to get close to the Grammy-winning artist. Gasps and camera flashes filled up space inside Bergdorf’s as she made her way throughout the store, dressed in an orange turtleneck knit mini-dress and matching trench-inspired parka from her new line. She posed for pictures with several celebrities and influencers, like sunglasses designers Coco & Breezy, reality TV star Cyn Santana, and rappers Maliibu Miitch and Saweetie.
Rihanna and Maliibu Miitch #BergdorfGoodmanXFenty pic.twitter.com/QSSQn4IWPP
— ME VKV DON DVDV —- (@BlackDynamite91) February 8, 202
@rihanna posing for pictures with @cocoandbreezy #BergdorfGoodmanXFenty pic.twitter.com/HG86J9CZEV
— ME VKV DON DVDV —- (@BlackDynamite91) February 8, 2020
Also in attendance were deputy creative director of FENTY Jahleel Weaver, vp/general manager of NIKE BY YOU Bastien Renard, chief strategy officer of LVMH Jean-Baptiste Voisin, choreographer Parris Goebel, editor-in-chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful, FENTY model JoAni Johnson and more.
The latest FENTY ?”Release 2-20″ collection is available now at Bergdorf Goodman’s website as well as Fenty.com.