Female Reggaeston Stars Are Landing High-Profile Fashion Deals

It is said that Daddy Yankee was the first to coin the term "reggaeton" in a song released in 1991. Male artists have largely dominated the 30-year-old music genre. Until now.

In recent years, the music world has witnessed a shift as women have been populating the space and amassing audiences of their own, reaching a “tastemaker” status beyond Latin America and landing high-end, lucrative deals like their male counterparts.

In 2018, I wrote an article for The Business of Fashion about the huge rise of reggaeton stars and how brands from Louis Vuitton to Dolce & Gabbana were lining up to dress them and cast them in their campaigns. It was only a matter of time before women from the reggaeton scene landed high-profile fashion deals.

Anitta for Dolce & Gabbana Beauty

Indeed, just last week, Medellin-born Karol G starred in Paula's Ibiza campaign for Loewe. (More about Paula’s Ibiza here). Last year, Rosalía became the face of Acne Studios and won't be seen performing in anything but the brand.

True, she's from Barcelona. However, her chart-topping hits are all about that reggaeton beat, and she has collaborated with almost all the men from the scene, from Bad Bunny to J Balvin and her Puerto Rican fiancé Rauw Alejandro.

Rosalía wearing Acne Studios at Coachella 2023

Meanwhile, Brazilian bombshell Anitta, who's killing it in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, has been fronting Dolce & Gabbana's beauty campaign, aside from other lucrative deals with giants like Adidas and Shein and in November, had a guest appearance in Savage X Fenty Vol.4 show.

Unlike a few years ago, "having the look of the brand" is no longer as important as it once was, according to celebrity stylist Irma Martinez, who said to BoF back in 2018 that "[before], it was difficult to dress these kinds of artists," but now, thanks to their huge following, "they are the ones that set the trends."

According to Karla Martinez, the director of content at Vogue Mexico and Latin America, when featuring these "amazing women" in the magazine over the past few years, "we encountered many brands that refused to loan us clothes," she commented recently on one of my IG posts.

"[Reggaeton has] come full circle into the mainstream for its ability to truly capture audiences globally; it's a perfect match for these fashion brands that are going after the same audiences," said Michelle Rivera, post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan to BoF.

The reggaeton genre is believed to have originated in Panama. Its roots trace back to West Indian immigrants who came to the country to build the Panama Canal. Mixing Jamaican reggae with Spanish lyrics, artists like Nando Boom and El General's Dembow rhythms helped create the genre known as reggae en Español.

Soon after, the genre was shaped and became popular in Puerto Rico, where it gained momentum in the 2000s. As reggaeton crossed into mainstream popularity, it was accompanied by a street-edge style similar to that of rap artists and their branding.

During these early days in the '90s and 2000s, women faced a lot of prejudice and sexism in the industry. Ivy Queen, Lorna (Papichulo), and Glory (Gasolina, Baila Morena) were some pioneering female artists who paved the way for future generations.

Ivy Queen, in particular, is regarded as the "queen of reggaeton" and was the first woman to record a reggaeton song in 1995 with "Muchos Quieren Tumbarme" and release a solo album in 1996 titled "En Mi Imperio." Her influential role set a benchmark for other female reggaeton artists to follow.

In 2017 Camila Cabello, a Cuban pop singer who sings in English and Spanish and has collaborations with J Balvin and Pitbull, set some precedent. She became one of the first to land a high-profile deal by launching a beauty collection with L'Oreal.

For her part, Cardi B, a rap sensation of Dominican and Trinidadian descent, has also made waves in the fashion world, with brands like Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana lining up to dress her and record-breaking sold-out collaborations with low-cost brand Fashion Nova.

Other notable female artists include Dominican artist Natti Natasha who in 2017 became the most viewed woman on YouTube with her hit song "Criminal" featuring Puerto Rico's Ozuna, bumping "Despacito" from the top spot. She launched her own apparel line and has become a front-row favourite. Meanwhile, Los Angeles native sensation Becky G collaborated with Pretty Little Thing.

Two other talented women who navigate through various music genres are Argentina's Nathy Peluso, who has graced the cover of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar Spain and landed a deal with the Spanish brand Desigual, and Colombia's Kali Uchis, who was recently featured on the cover of Vogue Latin America. Uchis has been gaining attention and fans worldwide due to her R&B, neo-soul, hip-hop beats, and unapologetically sensual demeanor.

As the reggaeton genre continues to evolve and grow, it is clear that female artists are no longer on the periphery but are at the forefront of the movement. Who will be the next "reggaetonera" to front a high-end brand?