7 Women In Fashion & Beauty Who Had A Successful 2021

When these ladies said 2021 was going to be their year, they meant it. They came into the new year with goals to disrupt the fashion industry and that’s exactly what they did. Here are seven women who made headlines in the fashion and beauty industry this year:

In August, Forbes announced that Rihanna became the wealthiest female musician, and her global makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, worth $2.8 billion, makes up a large chunk of her wealth. Staying true to Inclusivity and catering to diverse skin tones allowed Fenty Beauty to catapult Rihanna into billionaire-wealth status.

In addition to Fenty Beauty, her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty hosted its third fashion event this year to debut new styles from the collection. One lesson we can learn from Rihanna’s success this year is the fact that the opportunities are endless! We are certainly expecting Rihanna to see much more success with her fashion and beauty lines in 2022!

From hosting her first live fashion show, to changing the game via tech, Anifa Mvuemba had many reasons to celebrate her success in fashion this year. Mvuemba’s apparel line Hanifa disrupted the fashion industry in 2020 when she debuted her Pink Congo collection using AI models who sensually strutted down a 3D runway. In honor of the groundbreaking show, she was awarded the Future of Fashion Award at the Instyle Awards.

In the same week of winning the award, Hanifa hosted a live fashion show in Mvuemba’s hometown of Washington, D.C., bringing culture, community, and fashion together in one room. Guests showed out in pieces from previous collections and the models strutted on the runway in never-before-seen outfits. Hanifa’s success in the fashion industry this year reminds us all to never give up on our dreams!

The news about the search for a new editor-in-chief was announced after the previous editor-in-chief, Michelle Lee, accepted a role at Netflix. Since then, Jessica Cruel has brought her more than 10 years of beauty and fashion editorial experience to confidently owning the role.

In a candid Editor’s letter, Cruel writes, “Allure can’t define beauty because each person is born with a unique element that makes them shine, a certain something that can’t be replicated. But what we can do is highlight diverse experiences and perspectives to inspire each of you to see the world from a different point of view—and perhaps to try something you never considered.” Allure remains a trusted brand in the fashion and beauty industry, producing content that covers all the latest trends to keep you the know.

Glossier raised a whopping $80 million in Series E funding back in July, bringing the company’s total venture capital backing to more than $265 million. After achieving this success, Glossier’s CEO announced plans to open new immersive stores for customers to experience before year end.

In August, a Seattle location opened to the public, then a Los Angeles location opened in November, and a London opening followed that on December 9. After having to close all its stores in 2020 due to the pandemic, we are proud to have seen the growth and expansion of the digital-first beauty company this year. Glossier’s journey reminds us of the famous saying, “When one door closes, another one opens.”

At this year’s Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, Zendaya was crowned the Fashion Icon of The Year making her the youngest award recipient ever. Her iconic red carpet looks from Balmain, Valentino, and Rick Owens, to name a few, made her the deserving winner of the award. Zendaya continues to serve jaw dropping looks and so elegantly delivers tasteful styles to us.

Luxury fashion brand Chanel announced a new CEO after more than five years of operating without one. Leena Nair, former Chief of Human Resources at Unilever, made headlines due to not having a background in fashion. Industry insiders and many lovers of the Chanel brand were shocked to hear the news.

Nevertheless, Chanel mentioned in a statement, “This new partnership at the helm of the company, appointed by The Board of Chanel Limited (UK), will further ensure long-term success as a private company, believing in the freedom of creation, cultivating human potential, and acting to have a positive impact in the world.” With fashion brands transforming more into big businesses, Leena Nair brings more 30 years of experience as an executive into her new role and plans to lead Chanel into a new era.

You may recognize Stella Bugbee’s name from her work at The Cut, a leading digital-media site for fashion. Well, this past summer, she became the new Styles editor at The New York Times after transforming The Cut into a major digital brand. Covering style, culture and even bringing political issues to the forefront, Bugbee’s editorial leadership at The Cut was something you couldn’t ignore.

Executive editor Dean Baquet, managing editor Joe Kahn and assistant managing editor Sam Sifton shared in a memo, “Stella brings to The Times a broad and ambitious vision for Styles coverage, one that embraces fashion and lifestyle even as it explores issues of politics, gender, power and fame.”

Cheers to all the women who had a successful year in fashion and beauty in 2021! We can’t wait to see the beauty trends, style tips, innovations, and new collections in 2022!