Streetwear veteran Angelo Baque has revealed what Rihanna’s vision for Fenty by Rihanna was when she started.
Baque sat down with the Complex Style Podcast and spoke about Awake NY and reflected on the time that he got the chance to work with Rihanna for Fenty. When asked about his role in the brand, Baque detailed just how ingrained he was in its formation.
“I was a consultant across the board,” he said around the 41-minute mark. “Basically, a creative troubleshooter. The first thing they threw at me when I started there was that the agency they’d hired to work on the identity was struggling. They said, ‘Angelo, you have a week to work with them to figure this out.’”
After explaining how one of his solutions was to add an extension to the F in the Fenty logo, plus assisting with color identity, Baque reflected on having a conversation with Rihana about what her vision for Fenty was.
“I remember in one of our first meetings, she talked about going around SoHo and how you can spot a Chanel bag on someone’s shoulders — that’s the feeling you should get when you wear a Fenty bag,” he explained.
Baque’s new podcast appearance comes days after he revealed a Statue of Liberty-inspired Air Jordan 5 collab sample to the world. In Baque’s welcome post that announced he’d be joining the Jordan Design Studio team as a guide to young designers, Baque revealed the shoe that features a sole mixing three shades of green with grey and black.
For inquiring minds, it appears as if the shoe is just a sample. There’s no confirmed release date for it, even though the world is now curious about how to get their hands on the shoe.
In addition to flexing the shoe, Baque expressed his excitement for the Jordan Design Studio collaboration, writing in the caption of the post, “Can’t wait to work with new creatives, share ideas, and participate in a space to help the next generation of innovators. Looking forward to bringing this project to fruition.”
