Mr. Weaver, though he continues to travel extensively, now lives primarily in Paris. He moved there in early 2018 to begin work on Fenty’s debut, a fairly stressful undertaking.

“How do you put everything that Rihanna represents into one collection?” Mr. Weaver said.

The answer came to the pair late one night in the form of a music metaphor: an album and its release. Rather than settle on distinct, themed collections shown twice a year, Fenty would drop capsule collections throughout the year, much as singles are released over the course of an album’s rollout.

This would heighten anticipation and set the brand apart from the grind of the fashion pack.

“Each release,” Mr. Weaver said, “can speak to something different,” with inspiration taken from various aspects of Rihanna’s personal style, be it sleek futurism or the history of Cameo.

“At the end, you have a full album, a full body of work,” Mr. Weaver said. “I think that’s the beauty about our release schedule — there’s a piece of Fenty for everything you might need to get dressed.”

Basing Fenty’s strategy around online drops was a radical move, jolting the old seasonal schedule with the hectic cadence of fast fashion. But Fenty has been even more cutting-edge in giving people of color a place at the top of an industry still plagued by racial inequality and insensitivity.

When Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH announced Fenty, Rihanna became the first woman and person of color to establish a house with the luxury retail giant. At a time when high-profile brands continue to be plagued by racist missteps — just this year Gucci was forced to recall a balaclava knit-top that resembled blackface — the significance of Fenty’s debut was not lost on Mr. Weaver.