In Nike's Time of Need, It Turns to... Kim Kardashian
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Can Kim Kardashian's SKIMS save Nike? Or is NikeSKIMS, a new Nike brand powered by SKIMS, the next big move for Kardashian's red-hot shapewear label?
Nike and SKIMS announced NikeSKIMS on February 18, ahead of the first collection's digital launch in spring 2025. With an international launch planned for 2026, it sounds like world domination is in order — or at least SKIMS part two.
“We’re energized by the opportunity to build a new brand and shake things up for the next generation of athletes with NikeSKIMS.,” Heidi O’Neill, President of Consumer, Product & Brand, Nike, Inc., said in a statement. “We will invite even more athletes into sport and movement with product that makes them feel strong and sexy.”
"This partnership is the culmination of that shared vision, delivering product that is meticulously designed to sculpt and perform for every body," added Kardashian, who co-founded SKIMS with Frame Denim co-founder Jens Grede. "Every single detail has been obsessed over and carefully considered. We're incredibly excited to unveil our first collection this spring."
To be clear, NikeSKIMS will be a lifestyle-leaning womenswear line. In the NikeSKIMS release, the word "athlete" was accompanied by an ampersand that was only clarified by Nike's newsroom: "If you have a body, you are an athlete."
Sounds like a proper entry into the athleisure business, which a November 2024 study estimated was worth nearly $400 billion.
Nike is currently on a quest to reclaim its cultural clout following a few quarters of slacking revenues. New CEO Elliott Hill rejoined Nike in 2024 as part of a broader bid to restart the sportswear giant's winning streak, which began waning around 2023. That was when revenues began to plateau under former CEO John Donahoe and archrival adidas became the most vital name in sportswear (current state of adidas: quite sunny).
SKIMS, meanwhile, may as well be fitted with rocket boosters. Since Kardashian and Grede founded the company in 2019, SKIMS has bounced from splashy celebrity campaigns to viral products, expanding its business with gusto. It recently achieved a $4 billion valuation.
Of course, Nike remains the bigger company but SKIMS is the hotter property, with ample buzz behind every limited-edition drop. And NikeSKIMS represents not only Nike's latent desire to claw back relevance but SKIMS' sportswear aims. SKIMS recently partnered with The North Face to create earth-toned skiwear, for instance, and previously became the official underwear partner of the NBA, where Nike will remain the official partner through 2037.
But what does SKIMS really get out the NikeSKIMS brand? SKIMS is huge even without a Nike cosign and though SKIMS' debut Nike sneaker, which will be part of the product line, is a tantalizing proposition, surely the label could've devised its own footwear in time.
Speculation online is whispering about Nike potentially acquiring SKIMS. That'd be the most viable method of ensuring that the NikeSKIMS partnership remains ongoing, which seems to be the plan given that NikeSKIMS is being positioned a dedicated brand in the Nike family alongside Jordan and Converse.
Certainly, Nike's short-lived acquisition of RTFKT implies that it's keen on "owning" changemakers in its space. And for SKIMS, that means a big-time permanent partnership.
It also means, in her own way, that Kim Kardashian is today's Michael Jordan.
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