Rihanna Creates History: Becomes First Black Woman To Represent French Luxury Brand Christian Dior

Singer and fashion icon Rihanna has created history in the world of fashion by becoming the first black woman to represent high-end French fashion brand Christian Dior. The Barbadian beauty was spotted filming for the fourth installment of Dior’s Secret Garden campaign in Paris. The “Rude Boy” singer is a fan of the French luxury label and has been a regular at their fashion shows.

“It feels fantastic. It is such a big deal for me, for my culture, for a lot of young girls of any color,” Rihanna expressed herself to MTV News about the historic decision. Dior's decision to rope in the chart-topping singer as their face is considered historic because the luxury label is often associated as the top choice of upper-class white women. Dior's previous models are all white and are often from Europe.

Many critics also feel that it is shameful for Dior to wait for seven long decades to rope in a black female for their campaign. “That such an appointment took so long is shameful,” writers Tim Teeman from The Daily Beast. The writer added that the fact that “it has taken this long for Rihanna to make this particular slice of history is shocking, and it is a shaming comment on the racism still prevalent within the fashion world.”

Dior was founded in 1946, added the writer. The website also spoke to Beverly Johnson, Vogue’s first black cover model in 1974, who said that it is a “better late than never” situation for Dior. She also “welcomed” Dior to 21st century.

Meanwhile Rihanna shot Dior’s Secret Garden video campaign at the Palace of Versailles in Paris over the weekend. The campaign was shot by world renowned photographer Steven Klein. The video and magazine versions of the Dior campaign will kick off this spring, Vogue has confirmed. Models who previously appeared for Dior’s Secret Garden campaign are Daria Strokus, Melissa Stasiuk and Xiao Wen Ju. Other female celebrities representing Dior are Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard and Natalie Portman.

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