Reality-star-turned-business-mogul Kim Kardashian West has launched countless successful projects from her KKW makeup line to Kimojis and the many collaborations she's a part of, but her latest project, SKIMS, is one of her most exciting to date. The brand, which first launched in September 2019 as a direct-to-consumer label, is now partnering up with Nordstrom to bring shape-enhancing garments, lounge pieces, and sleepwear to even more Kardashian fans.
North West was lucky enough to rock a custom SKIMS cozy set in her size.
I was particularly excited to see if I could snag North West's white fuzzy outfit in an adult version (the full look is sold out on the SKIMS website—I checked), but Nordstrom is currently only carrying Solutionwear, FitsEverybody Underwear, and accessories like body tape and pasties. They assured me, however, that additional products will be released monthly in stores and online, so I'll keep an eye out for you, fuzzy set!
In celebration of the SKIMS launch, I had the chance to spend a few minutes (three, to be precise) chatting with Kim at the Nordstrom store in New York City. When I walked into the store's third floor stylist lounge, where I would be waiting my turn to sit face-to-face with the Kim Kardashian, my eyes landed on Kanye West, who was casually sitting on a couch 10? 11? feet away from me. He was there to support his wife's important launch. Before I had time to fully process this whole scene, I found myself sitting on a plush chair opposite Kim, staring into her chocolate brown, cat-like eyes, asking her about the challenges of making shapewear.
Kim at her Nordstrom SKIMS launch in NYC on February 5, 2020.
"It's not that easy" Kim tells me. "I have to figure out how thick I want the fabric to be, how stretchy it is, how sheer I want [the material to be], whether I want a high-waist [style] or not. Our material is also all custom woven just for us."
What sets SKIMS apart from other brands out there is that all the products are seamless—Kim hates when seams are visible underneath her garments—and it's a brand that stems from someone who built an empire around her shape.
"Something I wanted to be super specific about [for SKIMS], for example, was that most [shapewear] usually goes down straight [on your legs], but I have mine go out just a little bit so you don't have any of that leg bulge," says Kim, recalling her own experiences. "It took a lot of engineering and testing to not only achieve that on my body type, but also on everyone else's from XXS to 5X."
SKIMS currently offers sizes XXS to 4X and up to 5X in Solutionwear. (The Solutionwear comes in 31 different cups and nine tonal shades.) These selections all cater to women, but there are rumors that Kim is starting SKIMS for men and most recently, she asked her followers on Instagram if she should also design a kids loungewear collection(mommy and me cozy collection!). With so much on her plate, the entrepreneur shows no signs of slowing down.
"I have learned from my own experience that if you want to get things done, you have to do it yourself," she says. However, even a busy person like Kim knows when to slow it down. "You have to take time for yourself and your own sanity in order to get work done," she tells me. "Set boundaries, cleanse out people in your life, don't go to every party, and don't be available to everyone. It's okay to be selfish. You have to make these choices if you want to be successful." No one ever said keeping up with Kim was easy.
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