Rihanna has designed sunglasses for Dior
French couture house Christian Dior is taking its collaboration with pop star Rihanna to a new territory.
After casting the singer in one of its campaigns and co-designing a line of sunglasses, Dior is now teaming up with Rihanna for a charitable initiative. The combination of the label’s audience and Rihanna's strong following may help raise more money for the cause.
Rihanna revolution
Dior is turning one of its designs from its spring/summer 2017 collection into a benefit for Rihanna’s nonprofit The Clara Lionel Foundation. The organization’s mission is using access to education and healthcare as a means to combat inequality, poverty and injustice.
For her debut collection for Dior, dubbed a "Dio(r)evolution," artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri examined the idea of femininity. The designer is the first female to head the brand.
One of the designs that walked the runway was a t-shirt bearing the words “We should all be feminists.” In addition to the models in the show, Rihanna sported the slogan tee on her Instagram after participating in the Women's March held in New York, captioning the post with a note about her love for Dior.
Now, Dior has announced that this design will do more than make a statement. The label will donate a portion of proceeds from the t-shirt to Rihanna’s non-profit.
The shirts will retail in Dior boutiques and on Dior.com through May 15. Saks will also sell the style, including an exclusive black version, on its ecommerce site from March 14-28, per Billboard.
A number of brands have shown their dedication to a particular ambassador by aligning with their chosen causes.
LVMH-owned watchmaker Tag Heuer put Henrik Lundqvist in goal as its brand ambassador due to the National Hockey League goaltender’s exemplification of performance and precision.
Furthering the relationship, Tag Heuer is participating in Mr. Lundqvist’s off-ice charity initiatives, including his “Mask Project” that has been in the works for more than a year. The Mask Project brings together celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, Mario Batali and the New York City Fire Department to help Mr. Lundqvist design his face masks (see story).