Rihanna took to social media last night to announced that Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin will finally be distributed in a number of countries in Africa, including South Africa. The Fenty brand launched in 2017 and was hailed for its inclusive approach to beauty products. The artist was inspired to create the brand after seeing a lack of products in the market that performed across all skin tones and not just a select few. The inclusivity wasn’t only shown in the product offering but also in the models used in the brand campaigns, with models from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Rihanna said she started the makeup line “so that people everywhere would be included.”
That inclusion has now spread to the distribution of her products. Originally launched in North America and Europe, Fenty Beauty boosted its global presence with an expansion to Asian markets in 2019. At the time of the expansion she wrote, “When I launched @fentybeauty in 2017, it was important to me to make sure it was available globally so everyone had access to it.” With her announcement yesterday, she said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment!! @fentybeauty & @fentyskin are finally dropping in AFRICA!!!”
The African market expansion includes Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The products will be distributed via the ARC stores and Edgars Beauty stores across the country. The products will also be available online. The online store has already been adjusted with South Africa as a shipping destination and showing the product costs in Rand.
Continuing along the inclusive vein, the entertainment and beauty mogul tipped her hat to African design for the announcement. She made the announcement with in a a white woollen dress from Thebe Magugu’s AW21 Alchemy collection. Of the collection’s film presentation, Magugu said, “I want female characters to have their own agency and can be heroes or anti- heros without having to conform to the cinematic trope of women having to go experience major trauma to be allowed to be the same level of ‘badass’ as their male character counterparts.”
The Fenty Beauty’s physical store presence in South Africa will be launched on the 27th May but in the meantime, you can browse the products here.
