Kim Kardashian might not seem so relevant, but Skims never misses a beat
Waking up to the stunning images of Charli on Instagram, captured by the talented Petra Collins, felt correct, given Charli’s flawless execution of her zeitgeist-altering Brat Summer. But it also felt correct that Kim Kardashian was behind this.
While Kim and her famous family have been arguably fading into obscurity in 2024, her shapewear line Skims continues to go from strength to strength thanks to Kim’s uncanny ability to capitalise on pop culture’s current obsessions.
While the images –- shared across both Charli’s and Skims’ official Instagram accounts – garnered praise from Charli’s gargantuan fanbase (they really are beautiful pictures), there was an equal amount of kudos for businesswoman Kimmy K.
“Kimmy does it again!!!!!!!” commented a user. “YES!!!!! Skims gets it” added another. “One thing about Kim and Skims… they’re gonna get the FACE to model!” a fan declared.
Since the brand’s first attempt at launching epically failed back in 2019 (backlash to the name Kimono was swift, as was Kim’s acknowledgement and apology), the reband into Skims that same year has led to phenomenal success. Teaming up with advertising executive power-couple Jens and Emma Grede (who also work with Kim’s sisters Khloé on Good American and Kylie on Khy), Skims slowly but surely became a market leader in shapewear and lingerie, with its current market value sitting at a staggering $4B USD as of July 2023.
Not bad for a girl with no talent, aye??
One of the biggest contributors to Skims’ success rate, aside from the quality of the materials and size inclusivity, is their marketing campaigns. The chronically online Kardashian machine understands the moment, and has never failed to capture it and make it sexier.
In 2020, Skims featured current pop girlie Addison Rae during the height of her TikTok fame for a campaign celebrating the brand’s one year anniversary. Unsurprisingly, she slayed.
Later that year, Kim paired up with old pal Paris Hilton to launch her Velour campaign via a series of shots mimicking the paparazzi pictures that circulated of the duo decades prior. The internet loved it, obviously.
In 2021, Kim’s sister Kourtney posed seductively with her mate Megan Fox, who was experiencing a resurgence in the spotlight thanks to her highly publicised relationship with Machine Gun Kelly. MGK’s drummer was Kourtney’s now husband Travis Barker, and the four of them were quite literally everywhere for a minute.
In 2022, Kim landed supermodels Candice Swanepoel, Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio and Heidi Klum for her Icons campaign. It was the first photoshoot of the four models together since their Victoria’s Secret days, and Kim simply said, “Victoria who?”
BELLISSIMO. Kim launched her 2023 Valentine’s Day line using The White Lotus breakout stars Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò. No goddamn notes.
Later that year, rap icon Cardi B modelled for Skims in Cottons Collection campaign that reportedly garnered $4m. Huge.
2024 has been another mammoth year for Skims campaigns, starting with Usher’s Mens campaign that dropped days before his Super Bowl Halftime performance, pop princess Sabrina Carpenter’s Spring Intimates drop, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan’s stunning Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress moment and campaigns/official partnerships with athletes from the WNBA and US Olympics team.
Whether or not you think that Kim Kardashian is relevant, Skims is a constant reminder of the woman’s stellar business acumen and enduring presence in pop culture. The Kimono disaster clearly taught her an important lesson, and she’s kept her roster of ambassadors fun, chic and unproblematic, a trait which is at times uncharacteristic for her own personal brand.
Manifesting “Kamala Harris for Skims” before November.
Written by Lil Friedmann, who is desperately trying to predict who Kim K has next on her roster. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: @skims + Punkee