Rihanna to be honored with Parsons award

By

Kate Dingwall

Published
Mar 31, 2017

Pop songstress Rihanna has taken home one of the most prestigious awards in the design world, winning top honors from the Parsons School of Design for both her design and philanthropy work.

The announcement comes just a month after Rihanna was named the Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard University.

Joel Towers, Executive Dean of Parsons, praised Rihanna in a press statement, saying "Parsons is proud to present Rihanna with this honor, as she has inspired millions through her powerful music and distinct style. She has championed our recent alumni on a number of occasions by wearing their designs. She is also creating important philanthropic programs, which support communities by fostering effective education, health, and emergency response programs around the world through her Clara Lionel Foundation.”

Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel foundation in 2012. The foundation strives to improve the quality of life in impoverished communities through the launch and support of educational and health response programs. Recently, Rihanna paired with Dior to donate the proceeds from Dior’s feminist “We Should All Be Feminists” t-shirt to the Clara Lionel foundation.

In addition to her humanitarian efforts, Parsons has also acknowledged Rihanna's contributions to the world of design, for both her success with her Fenty x Puma line as well as for her own unique personal style. Previously, Rihanna has earned accolades from the CFDA for Style Icon of the Year, and was the first woman to earn Footwear News's Shoe of the Year award for her Fenty Puma Creeper shoe.

The awards will take place on May 22nd in New York City.  Both Neiman Marcus and Eileen Fisher have also been recognized by Parsons at this year's awards.