On September 10, 2019, entrepreneur and pop‑culture figure Kim Kardashian officially launched SKIMS, a brand that would rapidly become the defining force in modern shapewear, lingerie and loungewear.
On September 10, 2019, entrepreneur and pop‑culture figure Kim Kardashian officially launched SKIMS, a brand that would rapidly become the defining force in modern shapewear, lingerie and loungewear.
September 10, 2019
On September 10, 2019, entrepreneur and pop‑culture figure Kim Kardashian officially launched SKIMS, a brand that would rapidly become the defining force in modern shapewear, lingerie and loungewear.
The debut wasn’t quietly incremental, it exploded into the market almost immediately, thanks both to Kardashian’s formidable media presence and a sharp identification of a gap in the undergarment category: stylish solutions for all shapes, tones and lifestyles.
What SKIMS introduced was more than garments, it introduced a new paradigm. By offering sleek, minimalist forms in a vast shade range and inclusive sizing, the label re‑framed shapewear from a hidden utility to visible fashion. Celebrity collaborations and campaigns followed at pace, stars like Lana Del Rey, ROSÉ, Usher and Jude Bellingham fronted collections; a campaign landing helped land SKIMS on industry rankings like the Lyst Index among the “hottest brands.”
On a structural level, the brand’s launch signalled that the value of fashion brands now lies not just in garments or heritage, but in identity, drop‑culture, social‑native visibility and body politics. What the market once treated as functional, the under‑layer, became front and center, aspirational and statement‑making. SKIMS showed that underwear can spark social media moments, that loungewear can drive prestige, and that a celebrity‑founded brand can leap past legacy houses by owning the cultural script.
The brand’s audacity, the woman behind it, and the controversy it courts daily remind the fashion world that influence isn’t just about heritage or runway; it’s about making the world stop and talk, whether you love it or hate it.
