Kim Kardashian’s advice for building brands and what’s next for Skims after NBA deal

Skims, the shapewear brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, has consistently found ways to stay in the news—and that was especially true in recent days. On Monday it drew tons of headlines for a new NBA sponsorship that comes on the heels of a new menswear line. And just last week, the reality TV star touted a new bra with built-in nipples with a humorous Instagram video that drew more than 2 million likes in four days. Read more: Behind the NBA’s multiyear deal with Skims View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) The three-year NBA deal, which also includes the WNBA and USA Basketball, comes at a time of robust growth for Skims. Just four years old, Skims is valued at $4 billion and has moved beyond shapewear into several apparel categories and is planning a flagship store next year in Los Angeles. During a recent interview about the NBA deal, Ad Age got Kardashian’s take on building brands, celebrity campaigns and why Skims has been able to see success so quickly. Below, she shares her advice and offers a look at what’s ahead for Skims, which she founded with Jens Grede, its CEO. Responses have been lightly edited. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Tell us about the evolution of Skims to the men’s category. For a really, really long time we had gotten requests to launch men’s—in every category. People have asked for shapewear. Unisex pajamas are a favorite of my nephew Mason’s, and [we’re] seeing what a big response pajamas have gotten. Our boyfriend collection is a unisex collection that started off as a tester of a men’s collection. My brother was actually helping me fit it and feel all the fabrics. He thought it was too thin and we wanted to really take our time and perfect men’s and see what direction we wanted to go. Men’s has been in the works for a long time. Every six months we’d get a huge push of people asking when it’s coming and where will it be. Why team up with the NBA and what does the sponsorship do for your brand? Even starting off with our campaign for men’s with three different athletes and then going into the NBA partnership, it really does represent authentically where I am in my life. [For example,] being a soccer mom now and having Neymar in the campaign. My son plays American football and flag football, and my daughter plays basketball and it’s her passion and her love. Taking her to a few games last season I’d see the joy that that brings them. For gifts, I get people tickets for games. To see how much sports really bring joy into people’s lives and to be able to partner with the all-time ultimate company in the world—the NBA—and knowing they see our vision to have the official undergarments is magical to me and a dream come true. But it does make so much sense. Skims has grown so much and to launch men’s in this big way with this big partnership will be really important for our brand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SKIMS (@skims) You debuted Skims only four years ago and the brand is now valued at $4 billion. What was your brand strategy? It comes from an idea and a dream. For me, it was always shapewear that I couldn’t find in the marketplace. Everything I wanted was a light shade that was too light for me, or it was the color black. It was two options and never anything in between. I would take my shapewear and dye it and cut it up. I love shapewear, but the seams were in the wrong place. I felt like there was something missing in the marketplace. If you think of an idea or a brand that can fill a niche, no matter what that is, to fill a place of something that’s really missing out there, and your heart and soul is out there, [you can find success.] What is your advice to others starting a brand? I lived it for 10 years, being a stylist and cutting up my shapewear. It has to be a super authentic partnership. The men’s category was something so untapped. We are launching the most perfect collections that can speak to any category of what someone is looking for either to buy [for themselves] or for a gift. Our color tones are next level everything. When you think of building a brand, it’s just heart and soul. With the right team, my partner and I have figured out our system and our trust levels and our communications, our team and factories and everything. It’s like having a baby when you launch a new brand. On the retail front, how involved are you in trend analysis and what products to stock? On launch day, I’m glued to a computer. I’m such an analytics person looking at colors that sold and sizing and what isn’t selling as well and bestsellers. What’s selling out, what’s selling the most—I like to know. Also, I like to know what people are gravitating toward, especially when buying online for the first time. We don’t have any physical stores—that’s a huge goal of ours. But our return rate is so low. We do a great job of explaining sizing. The one thing I love, that I’m so confident in, is that our materials and our fabrics are so next level that you can try to copy something all day long but if you don’t have the fabric right you can’t. I like to overdeliver. If you get something good quality that speaks for itself and that’s why the brand is successful. @kimkardashian SKIMS MENS LAUNCHING 10.26 ♬ original sound - Kim Kardashian As you mentioned, the new men’s campaign includes Brazilian soccer star Neymar, as well as San Francisco 49er Nick Bosa and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Skims also just debuted a campaign with Cardi B. How do you choose the celebrities featured in your campaigns? Every situation is different. It can be me and my friends sitting around talking about Kim Cattrall and how she’d be great for Skims. Or the partners and I can be talking about “White Lotus” and how we were obsessed with last season and how we need the two girls from the show. If you think quick, you can make it happen. The men’s campaign is so authentic because it’s an authentic version of what my life has become. Neymar is in our campaign and that came about just from taking my son to soccer games. Being able to make a connection and from everyone being a fan of the brand. We’re honored that these men have agreed to be a part of the campaign. I love to see Nick Bosa, he’s an American football player, and Shai for basketball, I’ve loved his style forever. Authenticity over everything can be the answer to so many of your questions—if you’re living it, and if you’re feeling it. What comes next for Skims? Why not go for the stars? Why not try to get into soccer and the NFL and the NHL and golf? The sky’s the limit but I think for right now, we’re focusing on the NBA. I really love nurturing this brand and these sectors within the brand and making sure we give the customers what they’re looking for and what they want. I’m so energized and excited to see where Skims is heading because I feel like the possibilities are endless. Even within men’s, we’ll have shapewear at some point, and loungewear, sleepwear, more sport and swim—there are so many categories within men’s or still in women’s. I love designing and fabrics. I’m in every single meeting. I pick every single detail. It gives me even more enthusiasm to do even better because when I get feedback, either criticism to where I can fix the material or the fits, down to the positive feedback, it keeps me excited about the brand. Will we see a Super Bowl ad from you? No, but it is a good idea, especially with Nick Bosa being in our campaign. I hope he makes it to the Super Bowl, I am rooting for him! We have some fun ideas coming. No Super Bowl commercials or anything specific but we have some exciting things coming up. Football marketing news Tracking Super Bowl, NFL and college brand moves Read more here

Kim Kardashian’s advice for building brands and what’s next for Skims after NBA deal

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