WHAT started as a vanity project for Kim Kardashian has evolved into the hottest lingerie brand, enlisting stars including Jude Bellingham and Nicola Coughlan.
As a fan of Netflix hit Bridgerton, it is no surprise Kim selected Nicola, who plays Penelope Featherington, to front her latest Skims collection.
The brand celebrates bodies of all shapes and sizes, so the 37-year-old actress is the perfect fit with her natural curves.
As Nicola debuted in a dreamy, floral “goddess” campaign just days after 20-year-old England star Jude stripped down for the men’s line, Kim said: “Nicola is such an inspiration on screen and beyond, and she really brought the campaign to life with her undeniable beauty and energy.”
They are not the only A-listers to bare all for the brand.
Since its launch in 2019, everyone from Kate Moss to rap star Usher and singer Lana Del Rey have partnered with the label.
Customers and celebs alike can’t seem to get enough of the brand, with Skims now worth £3billion and sales up fifty per cent last year.
Unlike Kim, the clobber is down-to-earth, and while it may lack the sparkle of premium lingerie brands such as Victoria’s Secret, its success lies in seamlessly combining comfort with subtle elegance.
Oh, and some shrewd viral campaigns.
The mother of four broke the internet (again) in November with her campaign video to promote the faux perky nipple bra.
Kim, 43, poked fun at climate change with gags such as: “No matter how hot it is, you’ll always look cold,” and: “Unlike the icebergs, these aren’t going anywhere.”
Some women hailed the £64 Skims bra as “empowering” while others said it reduced women to “walking sex dolls”.
I loved it.
It gave me a boost, in more ways than one, and nipples harder than Tyson Fury.
I’m also a fan of the Skims best-selling £70 waist trainer, following the birth of my daughter Eva, two.
“A waist trainer is a gift that I used to give to all of my friends right after they had a baby,” Kim revealed in a video clip to promote it.
“They just make me feel really snatched.”
Despite widespread criticism for a number of health reasons, her corset sold out in minutes online.
The lingerie brand has also expanded into a vast clothing empire encompassing swimwear, dresses, loungewear, PJs and menswear.
The brand’s commitment to inclusivity has also made it en vogue.
By featuring a diverse range of celebs and models, Skims appeals to a multi-generational audience.
Older celebs including Kate Moss, 50, bring a touch of timeless glamour, while contemporary stars such as Jude and Nicola connect with younger, trend-conscious consumers.
Kate said: “I’ve been a fan of Skims since day one.
“What Kim is doing with the brand is so fresh and modern, making underwear women actually want and that fits perfectly.
“I wear it, my daughter wears it — even my mum wears it.”
Kim Cattrall, 67, best known for her role as Samantha in Sex And The City, was featured in the Best of Skims campaign in October.
Skims has also embraced the body positivity movement, promoting all figures regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender or physical abilities, and offers shapewear in sizes from XXS to 4X.
For the “Fits Everybody” 2022 campaign, Kim called up four former Victoria’s Secret Angels — Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Candice Swanepoel and Alessandra Ambrosio.
Tyra, 50, shared her excitement about the brand’s mission to empower women of all shapes and sizes, saying: “My body is very different from my catwalk days and I am excited to showcase it in all of its super-curvy glory.
“Ms Kardashian, I did it for you, girl!”
While the campaign was supposed to champion body diversity, it received a backlash from some critics.
“I’m just a bit confused by this saying it fits everybody but these are all supermodels who are very thin,” was one comment on Twitter.
Another said: “Add some plus-size models for once.”
Unfazed by the controversy, Kim later uploaded a sexy snap of her on set with the supermodels on Instagram, with the caption: “OK so I wasn’t supposed to be in this @Skims campaign but I stopped by and jumped in because it was too iconic.”
Another important element of the brand’s inclusivity is its diverse range of clothing colours.
Skims’ core shapewear products are available in nine different shades of nude, acknowledging that “nude” means different things to different people.
Rival brand Spanx, for instance, only offers a limited colour range, while Skims has shades from “sand” to “onyx”, appealing to darker-skinned women who often struggle to find undergarments that match their skin tone.
Kim has said: “I was just looking for a solution to the fact that I love to wear shapewear and there wasn’t a colour tone that fit my skin tone, let alone most of my friends.”
In November 2021 Skims launched a limited collection with Italian luxury fashion house Fendi, which proved a clever business move.
While Skims lines are affordable, the Fendi X Skims items started at $950 (£747), with leggings at $1,100 (£865) and a puffer jacket at $2,950 (£2,320).
But this rare partnership generated a significant buzz for both brands.
Announcing the collaboration, Kim said: “[We both have] a cultural power that is very different from one another, but equally as strong.
“We share a desire to push boundaries, think differently and challenge convention, which is why we found so much common ground.”
The collaboration was so popular it reportedly brought in more than a million dollars in sales within minutes and most of the collection sold out within 24 hours.
Fendi’s creative director, Kim Jones, was inspired to collaborate with Skims after he noticed women in his office were unusually quiet when Skims dropped a new product.
He said: “Suddenly all the women went silent and started looking at their phones.
“I didn’t know what was going on, but they were waiting for the launch of the Skims collection.
“It was then that I thought, ‘Let’s do something together’.”
Skims releases new collections weekly, with each drop ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 units.
This strategy generates excitement and demand by limiting availability.
Shoppers can sign up and get alerts sent straight to them when the new range has dropped.
Usher launched the menswear line in February.
In a sultry clip, the 45-year-old peeled up his white tank top to reveal his gym-honed abs while playfully tossing a peach.
He looks into the camera and says: “Everybody’s wearing Skims.”
And long may it continue.
