Rihanna becomes face of Dior's new collection

Pop star Rihanna has added another lucrative sponsorship deal to her portfolio, and not just any brand: the Barbadian singer is the new face of a Dior advertising campaign.

The French fashion house confirmed to AFP on Monday that Rihanna is "the new guest star for our 'Secret Garden' campaign", a promotional video and print series shot at the famous Versailles Palace outside Paris.

In the production, made last week by US photographer Steven Klein, the 27-year-old star shows off Dior's new "Esprit Dior Tokyo" collection. The campaign will be screened within the next couple of months.

The "Secret Garden" campaign has been running for three years, and is mostly meant for online viewing.

The Dior spokeswoman declined to give details about Rihanna's contract or how long she would be endorsing the house's collection.

Dior has tapped other celebrities to sell its products, including Israeli-US actress Natalie Portman, who fronts its Miss Dior perfume line, and Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard, who promoted its Lady Dior handbags.