The impending launch of Fenty, a high fashion partnership between Rihanna and luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton“signals dramatic changes coming in the luxury market led by the undisputed market leader,” Forbes asserted on Friday, on the heels of the announcement of the much rumored venture. “Delivering relevant, cutting-edge fashion to the young customer base at LVMH definitely fits the model of the company and the future direction that LVMH seems to be heading.”
Rihanna – who is both a successful retail entrepreneur and market leader in terms of her existing Fenty Beauty and Savage brands, in addition to being a Grammy-winning musician – is almost certainly going to help establish a “gateway to future luxury … for younger affluent, more-with-it customers,” per Forbes’ Pamela Danziger, for the Paris-based conglomerate, which also owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, and Marc Jacobs, amongst about 70 other luxury brands.
So, what exactly can we expect from the soon-to-launch partnership? If trademark applications filed by Rihanna’s corporate entity Roraj Trade LLC could be telling. While the goods and services listed in trademark applications are hardly a set-in-stone guarantee that these will be all of the products on offer by Fenty, the filing, which came in March 2018, do provide a sneak peek at some of what is to come.
In 8 separate applications for registration, Roraj Trade is seeking federal trademark rights in a stylized “FENTY” word mark and the maze-like Fenty logo for use on clothing, “namely, tops, coats, bottoms, pants, shorts, skirts, overalls, suits, dresses, undergarments, hosiery, socks, sleepwear, headwear, scarves, gloves, footwear, and swimwear;” textile fabrics for the manufacture of clothing and bags; and accessories, such as “sunglasses; accessories for mobile phones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants, and portable media players, namely, covers, ear buds, neck straps and neck cords to restrain item from movement on wearer, and protective cases.”
More than that, the applications claim intended use of the trademarks on “jewelry, jewelry boxes and cases, key chains, and watches;” “backpacks, cosmetic cases and bags sold empty, luggage, purses, tote bags, wallets, key cases, and umbrellas,” and “retail store services [and] fashion show exhibitions for commercial purposes.”
To date, each of the applications has been cleared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), but none have been registered just yet, as Roraj Trade has not been able to show that the marks are actually being used in connection with such goods and services. The entity will have to provide evidence to the USPTO once the brand makes its formal debut later this spring.