In mid-November, Kim Kardashian’s Skims ventured boldly into high fashion, collaborating with high-end Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana.
The collaboration reimagined D&G’s timeless looks—its timeless leopard print among them—into sultry, elegant, and budget-friendly pieces, ranging from sheer bralettes and slip dresses to silk robes and satin thongs.
The collection was a success, earning over $3 million in 48 hours, even after the traffic surge briefly brought down the fashion house’s website.
It’s understandable to attribute the runaway success of Skims to Kardashian’s power of fame—especially as she and her sister, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, led an effort that leaned into Italian heritage and femininity. Yet, Skims is greater than one more celebrity-marked brand.
Established by Kardashian with CEO Jens Grede and Chief Product Officer Emma Grede in 2018, shapewear business Skims surged in value to a reported $1.6 billion by 2021—the same year she was listed on the Forbes Billionaires list.
Today, worth $4 billion, Skims makes up most of her $1.7 billion net worth. While reality television and social media created her first wealth, Skims cemented her as a real business mogul.
And the momentum doesn’t seem to be letting up. There have been reports of a Skims IPO, and in 2024, the brand opened five standalone stores in Houston, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C., with a flagship 5,000-square-foot store opening in West Hollywood.
Still more U.S. and global store fronts are poised to join in, as the creators push to be the retailers of the world. “Kim and I see a world in the future where Skims locations are as commonplace as Apple and Nike stores,” Jens Grede explained to Bloomberg last year.
One secret to Skims’ sustained success? Celeb-swap savvy. The company excels at partnering with the coolest current names. Prior to dropping her chart-topping album Short n’ Sweet, pop star Sabrina Carpenter caused a stir in a sultry Skims campaign that celebrated ’90s aesthetics.
Tate McRae, a Canadian pop star, recently appeared in a holiday shoot, led by director Harmony Korine, in red lingerie and fake fur boots. “Tate McRae was the perfect fit—smart, beautiful, and totally of the moment,” Kardashian said of the campaign.
Skims’ cultural zeitgeist-grabbing strength is unmatched. The brand capped off Charli XCX’s viral “Brat Summer” with a steamy, water-logged campaign shot by Petra Collins, just as Brat was becoming a Gen Z anthem.
But its strongest campaign was perhaps during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when actress and TV host Olivia Munn bravely showed off her mastectomy scar while modeling the brand’s now-viral “Nipple Bra.”.
At this rate, the only question left is: Who hasn’t taken a selfie with Skims?
