Every Article, Partnership & Campaign Behind Skims' $5B Rise

Skims generated more media coverage per dollar of revenue than any DTC brand launched in the last decade. Kim Kardashian's 300M+ Instagram followers meant every product drop was front-page news, but the real story is how Skims turned celebrity into a repeatable PR machine — one that generated NBA partnerships, a Nike collaboration, and a Harvard Business School case study.

Every Skims origin story starts in the bathtub. Kim Kardashian spent years dyeing shapewear with tea bags and coffee to match her skin tone, cutting up garments to work with specific outfits. When she launched Skims in September 2019 with co-founders Jens Grede and Emma Grede, the brand offered what the market lacked: shapewear in sizes XXS to 5XL across an inclusive palette of skin tones.

CNBC

Kim Kardashian's $3.2 Billion Skims Brand Started in Her Bathtub

The definitive founding story — how Kardashian dyed shapewear with tea bags, cofounded with Jens Grede, and built a brand that generated $2M in sales within minutes of launch.

July 2023

Wikipedia

Skims — History, Naming Controversy, and Growth

Comprehensive history covering the “Kimono” naming controversy, the rebrand to Skims, key partnerships, and valuation milestones.

wikipedia.org • Ongoing

WWD

Who Owns Skims? How the Brand Became a $4 Billion Juggernaut

Women's Wear Daily deep dive into ownership structure, Jens Grede's CEO role, Emma Grede as CPO, and Kardashian's 35% stake.

2024

The naming controversy — originally announced as “Kimono” before criticism from Japan's mayor of Kyoto forced a rebrand — generated a wave of international press that paradoxically boosted brand awareness. Skims' homepage evolution reflects how the brand refined its positioning from shapewear-first to a full lifestyle brand.

Skims' funding trajectory reads like a masterclass in timing capital raises for maximum press impact. Every round generated a news cycle: $154M Series A (2021), $270M Series C at $4B (July 2023), and $225M at $5B led by Goldman Sachs (November 2025). Each valuation milestone shifted the narrative from “celebrity vanity project” to “serious business story.”

Fortune

Kim Kardashian's Skims Is Now Worth $5 Billion After a Massive $225 Million Funding Round

Fortune's coverage of the Goldman Sachs-led round, retail expansion plans, and the path to $1 billion in net sales.

November 2025

CNBC

Skims Hits $5 Billion Valuation After Funding Round Led by Goldman

Financial coverage of the round, plans for 22 U.S. stores, and international expansion to London and Dubai.

November 2025

Retail Dive

Skims Valued at $5B as It Plans Store Expansion

Retail industry analysis of Skims' brick-and-mortar strategy and what the $5B valuation means for the DTC-to-retail pipeline.

November 2025

Want to track how brands time funding announcements for maximum press impact? LeadMaxxing monitors competitor websites and alerts you when they change their marketing strategy.

Skims doesn't run advertising campaigns — it creates cultural moments. Every celebrity partnership is designed to cross media verticals: fashion press for supermodels, sports press for the NBA deal, entertainment press for musicians, and business press for the Nike collaboration. Their paid advertising strategy amplifies these moments across platforms, while their social media presence turns each campaign into viral content.

WWD

Every Celebrity Skims Campaign: Donovan Mitchell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Abby Champion and More

Comprehensive photo gallery covering every major Skims celebrity campaign — from Kate Moss to Jude Bellingham to Sabrina Carpenter.

2024 • Photo Gallery

NBA.com

Skims Named Official Underwear Partner of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball

The October 2023 multiyear partnership made Skims the first underwear brand to partner with all three leagues — generating coverage across ESPN, Variety, Hypebeast, and sports media globally.

October 2023 • Official Release

Variety

Kim Kardashian's Skims Named the Official Underwear Partner of the NBA

Entertainment industry take on the NBA partnership — how it positions Skims at the intersection of fashion, sports, and pop culture.

October 2023

When Nike's new CEO Elliott Hill chose Skims as the company's biggest women's activewear bet, it validated years of brand building. NikeSKIMS launched September 26, 2025 with 7 collections, 58 silhouettes, and a campaign featuring 50+ athletes including Serena Williams, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Chloe Kim. The collaboration's earlier high-fashion partnerships — Fendi (2021) and Dolce & Gabbana — had already proven Skims could transcend its shapewear origins. Combined with their evolving pricing strategy, each collaboration redefines where the brand sits in the market.

Nike — Newsroom

NIKE, Inc. and SKIMS Introduce New Brand for Women: NikeSKIMS

Official announcement of the NikeSKIMS partnership — a new brand targeting women's activewear with Dri-Fit technology and Skims' fit expertise.

February 2025 • Official Release

CNBC

Nike's New Activewear Line with Skims Is Set to Launch This Week

Analysis of why Nike chose Skims to take on Lululemon, Vuori, and Alo Yoga in the women's activewear category.

September 2025

Adweek

5 Reasons Nike's Collab With Kim Kardashian's Skims Makes Sense

Marketing industry analysis of the strategic rationale behind the NikeSKIMS partnership and what it signals about Nike's direction.

2025

Skims is building the infrastructure of a public company without actually going public. The November 2025 funding round is earmarked for brick-and-mortar expansion: 22 U.S. stores by end of 2026, with international locations planned for London's Regent Street and Dubai. IPO speculation has been a persistent media narrative since 2024, but the $225M private raise suggests Skims is patient — building scale before listing. Their tech infrastructure runs on Shopify, powering both DTC and the emerging retail footprint.

Business of Fashion

Exclusive: Skims' Plan for Global Domination

BoF's exclusive feature on Skims' international expansion strategy, retail ambitions, and the plan to become a “predominantly physical business.”

businessoffashion.com

Press coverage tells the story a brand wants told. Reviews and Reddit tell the story customers actually live. Skims' press narrative is overwhelmingly positive — $5B valuation, NikeSKIMS, celebrity campaigns. But customer review platforms reveal the friction points that press coverage doesn't surface: sizing inconsistencies across collections, expensive return shipping, and customer service response times. The gap between press and reality is where competitive intelligence gets interesting.

Trustpilot

Skims on Trustpilot

Thousands of customer reviews covering product quality, sizing consistency, shipping speed, and returns experience. Praise for soft fabrics and inclusive sizing; complaints about return costs and customer service.

trustpilot.com • Ongoing reviews

Thingtesting

SKIMS Reviews 2026

Curated consumer reviews from verified purchasers — product-by-product quality assessments and comparisons to competitors.

thingtesting.com • Ongoing

Why this matters for your brand: Skims' press coverage paints a unicorn story, but review sites reveal the operational challenges that come with hypergrowth — sizing that varies by collection, returns that cost nearly half the item price, and customer service struggling to keep up with volume. Monitoring both press and reviews gives you the complete competitive picture. Track how this plays out in their email & CRM strategy and tracking infrastructure.

Skims' PR playbook proves that the line between product launch and media event has disappeared. Every category expansion (shapewear → loungewear → menswear → activewear) was a press moment. Every partnership (Fendi, NBA, Nike) crossed media verticals. And every celebrity campaign was designed to generate earned media worth multiples of the actual campaign cost. The patterns in Skims' organic search presence show how this press coverage compounds into long-term SEO value, while their site speed infrastructure ensures the traffic these campaigns drive actually converts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Skims grow from a shapewear line to a $5 billion brand?

Skims launched in September 2019 as Kim Kardashian's shapewear line, generating $2 million in sales within minutes on launch day. The brand expanded from shapewear into loungewear, swimwear, and menswear, reaching $750 million in sales by 2023 and nearing $1 billion in 2025. A $270 million Series C in July 2023 valued the company at $4 billion, followed by a $225 million round led by Goldman Sachs in November 2025 that pushed the valuation to $5 billion.

Who founded Skims and what is Kim Kardashian's role?

Skims was co-founded in June 2019 by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede, with Emma Grede as a founding partner. Kardashian serves as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, retaining the largest ownership stake — Forbes estimates her 35% stake contributes significantly to her $1.7 billion net worth. Jens Grede serves as CEO, while Emma Grede is Chief Product Officer.

What major brand partnerships has Skims secured?

Skims has secured several major partnerships including: the NikeSKIMS activewear collaboration (launched September 2025), becoming the official underwear partner of the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball (October 2023), a high-fashion collaboration with Fendi (2021), and a Dolce & Gabbana capsule collection. The NikeSKIMS launch featured 7 collections with 58 silhouettes and a campaign starring over 50 athletes including Serena Williams and Sha'Carri Richardson.

Which celebrities have appeared in Skims campaigns?

Skims has featured an extensive roster of celebrity ambassadors including supermodels Kate Moss, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, and Alessandra Ambrosio; musicians like Sabrina Carpenter, Usher, Charli XCX, SZA, and Rosé from BLACKPINK; athletes like Neymar and Jude Bellingham; and social media personalities like Addison Rae. The brand's celebrity strategy turns each campaign into a press event that generates earned media coverage.

What was the Skims naming controversy?

Skims was originally named “Kimono” when announced in June 2019. The name drew criticism for culturally appropriating the Japanese kimono — the mayor of Kyoto, Daisaku Kadokawa, personally wrote to Kardashian requesting she reconsider. Kardashian changed the name to “Skims” before the September 2019 launch. The controversy generated significant media coverage but the swift response was widely seen as effective crisis management.

How does Skims' PR strategy differ from traditional fashion brands?

Skims leverages Kim Kardashian's personal platform of 300M+ Instagram followers as a built-in media channel, making every product drop a press event. Rather than relying on traditional press releases, the brand creates cultural moments — NBA partnerships, Nike collaborations, and celebrity campaigns — that generate earned media across business, fashion, sports, and entertainment press simultaneously. This multi-vertical coverage strategy produces press worth millions in equivalent ad spend.

Is Skims planning an IPO?

Skims has been eyeing a public debut since at least 2024, but the November 2025 funding round at a $5 billion valuation suggests no immediate rush. The consumer IPO market has been largely stagnant, and by raising private capital, Skims can continue scaling — particularly its brick-and-mortar expansion to 22+ U.S. stores and international locations in London and Dubai — without immediate pressure to list.

What do customer reviews say about Skims products?

Customer reviews on Trustpilot and other platforms praise Skims for exceptionally soft fabrics, inclusive sizing from XXS to 5XL, and flattering fits across body types. Common complaints include sizing inconsistencies across collections, expensive return shipping costs, customer service response times, and occasional quality issues like pilling or thin fabrics in certain lines. The gap between overwhelmingly positive press coverage and mixed customer reviews is a pattern common in celebrity-founded DTC brands.