Rihanna Partners With Donna Karan, The New School’s Parsons School of Design | The collaboration will benefit Haitian artisans and the singer's Clara Lionel Foundation.

 Rihanna’s impact on the fashion world is indisputable. Now the singer has revealed that she will further strengthen her ties to the industry by collaborating with The New School’s Parsons School of Design, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation and Haitian artists to develop a line of merchandise.Sales of the product will help support the Grammy winner’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which was founded in 2012 to benefit impoverished communities worldwide in areas like health care and education.Select students of the art and design school will have the opportunity this summer to work with local Haitian artists at the Design, Organization, Training Center in Port-au-Prince. Karan, Parsons and designer Paula Coles founded the center as a creative meeting place offering vocational training and materials to the Haitian artist community.“We are ecstatic that our students will have the opportunity to work with and develop a merchandise line for Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, that, like Parsons, shares a strong commitment to creating positive social change,” explained Alison Mears, director of the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons who was instrumental in launching D.O.T.On May 22, Rihanna will be honored at the Parsons Benefit in New York City and will reveal the winners of the Design Fellowship program, which sends three Parsons students to Haiti for six to eight weeks beginning in early June.By Andrew Nodell | May 5, 2017

Why This Italian-Haitian Designer Loved by Beyonce, Rihanna and More Should be On Your Radar

This Rome-based fashion star opens up about her Haitian roots and how clothes can be a cultural connector.ESSENCE: What inspires your creations?STELLA JEAN: My own story—my roots and background have always inspired my work. I'm half-Haitian and half-Italian. Haiti influences my creativity. The sociocultural fusion I bring in my collections is perfectly represented by a country like Haiti and in line with my fundamental need to convey a new concept of multiculturalism. Fashion can be a cultural translator; we can reestablish the proportion among symbols, stories and different worlds through style.ESSENCE: How would you describe the Stella Jean woman?S.J.: Women who are confident, curious, audacious, not afraid to experiment and who cherish family memories, plus have a pinch of irony—all of which makes every look personal and unique.ESSENCE: Who are your favorite designers?S.J.: Dries Van Noten, who mixes different cultures in a tasteful and respectful way. And Etro, who sums up a blend of tradition and innovation.ESSENCE: What are your go-to beauty products?S.J.: Kreyòl Essence 100% natural Haitian black castor oil, pure organic moringa oil (from the southern coast of Haiti) by Ayiti Natives and MAC's In Extreme Dimension mascara.By Bridgette Bartlett Royall (for Essence.com) | Apr, 26, 2017