Kim Kardashian co-founded SKIMS, transforming it into a $5 billion global apparel brand through inclusive sizing, direct-to-consumer growth, and strategic partnerships.
The Story: In 2019, Kim Kardashian launched a shapewear line built around a radically expanded size range XXS to 5XL at a moment when “inclusive sizing” was still mostly a marketing slogan elsewhere. By late 2025, that brand had raised $225 million from Goldman Sachs Alternatives at a $5 billion valuation, partnered with Nike on a new activewear line, and was projected to cross $1 billion in annual net sales. SKIMS is now the single largest driver of Kardashian’s roughly $1.9 billion net worth proof that reality-TV fame, when paired with disciplined operating partners, can build something far more durable than a tabloid headline.
People Also Ask
- What is SKIMS? A shapewear and apparel brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede, and Emma Grede in 2019, known for extended size ranges and brand partnerships including the NBA, WNBA, and Nike.
- How much is SKIMS worth? SKIMS was valued at $5 billion following a $225 million funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives in November 2025, up from $4 billion in 2023 and $3.2 billion in January 2022.
- How much revenue does SKIMS make? The company generated about $750 million in 2023 sales, up from roughly $500 million in 2022, and was on track to exceed $1 billion in net sales by the end of 2025.
- How much of SKIMS does Kim Kardashian own? Reports place her ownership stake around 33–35%, with Jens Grede serving as CEO and Emma Grede also holding a significant leadership role.
- What is NikeSKIMS? A women’s activewear collaboration between Nike and SKIMS that launched in September 2025, combining Nike’s technical performance materials with SKIMS’ fit and sizing philosophy.
Timeline: From Shapewear Startup to $5 Billion Omnichannel Brand
| Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SKIMS launches | Co-founded by Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede, Emma Grede |
| 2020 | ~$145 million in revenue | Early traction during pandemic-era e-commerce boom |
| Jan 2022 | Valued at $3.2 billion | Early sign of rapid scaling |
| 2022 | ~$500 million in sales | Continued growth across shapewear, loungewear |
| July 2023 | $270 million Series C; valued at $4 billion | Wellington Management leads the round |
| 2023 | ~$713–750 million in net sales; company turns profitable | First confirmed year of profitability |
| 2024 | First permanent stores open | Georgetown, Miami, Austin locations |
| Feb 2025 | NikeSKIMS announced | Strategic partnership unveiled |
| March 2025 | Kardashian buys back 20% SKKN stake from Coty | Consolidates beauty/lifestyle ownership |
| Sept 2025 | NikeSKIMS launches | Sells out within hours |
| Nov 2025 | $225 million round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives | Valuation reaches $5 billion |
| 2026 | International expansion continues | Stores planned for London, Dubai, and Israel |
Quick Facts
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Founders | Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede, Emma Grede | Multiple outlets |
| Founded | 2019 | Multiple outlets |
| Current Valuation | $5 billion (Nov 2025) | Fortune/LA Business Journal |
| 2023 Net Sales | ~$713–750 million | Fortune |
| 2025 Net Sales (target) | $1 billion+ | Company statement |
| Total Funding Raised (latest round) | $225 million (Nov 2025) | Fortune |
| Lead Investor (2025 round) | Goldman Sachs Alternatives | Fortune/LA Business Journal |
| Kardashian’s Ownership Stake (est.) | ~33–35% | Multiple outlets |
| Kim Kardashian Net Worth (2026, est.) | ~$1.9–1.95 billion | Multiple outlets |
| CEO | Jens Grede | Multiple outlets |
| Major Partnerships | NBA, WNBA, USA Basketball, Nike | Fortune |
How SKIMS Scaled From Shapewear to a $5 Billion Brand
The Founding Insight: Size Inclusivity as a Product Strategy, Not a Marketing Line
SKIMS launched with sizing from XXS to 5XL a far broader range than most shapewear competitors offered at the time. Rather than treating inclusivity as a campaign tagline, the company built it into the core product architecture from day one, which let SKIMS capture a customer base that incumbent intimates brands had systematically underserved.
Operator Discipline Behind the Celebrity Name
Kim Kardashian’s role as a co-founder and the face of the brand mattered, but the operational engine was built by Jens Grede, a fashion entrepreneur with a track record co-founding the denim brand Frame and the sportswear line Brady, alongside Emma Grede, a serial founder with her own consumer-brand experience. That combination celebrity-driven demand generation paired with experienced operators running the supply chain, retail strategy, and category expansion is a structural pattern shared by several of the more durable creator/celebrity brands of this era.
From D2C to Omnichannel Carefully
SKIMS operated primarily as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business for years before opening permanent retail locations, starting with Georgetown in 2024 and expanding to Miami, Austin, and a Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. That sequencing proving the brand and unit economics online first, then committing capital to physical retail reduced the execution risk that has tripped up other DTC-first brands rushing into stores too early.
Strategic Partnerships as Distribution and Credibility
SKIMS became the official underwear partner for the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball, putting the brand in front of new audiences through institutional partnerships rather than paid advertising alone. The February 2025 announcement of NikeSKIMS combining Nike’s technical fabric expertise with SKIMS’ fit philosophy extended the brand into activewear, a category adjacency that leveraged both companies’ strengths rather than asking SKIMS to build athletic-wear R&D from scratch.
Consolidating the Broader Kardashian Beauty/Lifestyle Footprint
In March 2025, Kardashian bought back a 20% stake in her SKKN beauty brand from Coty, folding it under the broader SKIMS/lifestyle umbrella after shutting down the standalone makeup and skincare line earlier that year. The move reflects a broader strategy of consolidating brand equity under a single, scaling entity rather than running multiple smaller, harder-to-scale ventures in parallel.
SKIMS’ Model vs. Other Celebrity Apparel Brands
| Model | SKIMS (Kim Kardashian) | Yeezy (Kanye West, historical) | Fenty (Rihanna) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founding structure | Multi-founder, operator-led | Single-founder, design-led | Joint venture with conglomerate (LVMH) |
| Initial channel | D2C e-commerce | Mix of D2C and retail partnerships | D2C plus Sephora distribution |
| Category focus | Shapewear, loungewear, activewear | Footwear, apparel | Beauty/cosmetics |
| Institutional partnerships | NBA, WNBA, Nike | Adidas (historical) | Sephora |
| 2025–26 valuation trajectory | Rising ($3.2B → $5B in 3 years) | Volatile, brand disrupted by partner exit | Mature, possible ownership change |
The Risks Ahead
1. Founder-Brand Concentration: SKIMS’ marketing engine still relies heavily on Kardashian’s personal visibility and social reach — a dependency shared by most celebrity-fronted brands.
2. Category Crowding: Shapewear and loungewear have become more competitive since SKIMS’ 2019 launch, with both legacy intimates brands and new DTC entrants expanding sizing and marketing inclusivity.
3. Execution Risk in Physical and International Retail: Opening standalone stores in markets like Dubai, London, and Israel introduces real estate, staffing, and localization costs that are structurally different from the e-commerce model that built the brand.
4. Activewear Partnership Dependency: NikeSKIMS ties part of SKIMS’ growth trajectory to a single partner’s execution and strategic priorities, rather than a wholly owned product line.
Key Takeaways
- SKIMS launched in 2019 with an unusually broad size range (XXS–5XL) built into the product from day one
- The company scaled from a $3.2 billion valuation in January 2022 to $5 billion by November 2025, backed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives
- 2023 net sales reached roughly $713–750 million, with 2025 targeted to cross $1 billion
- Institutional partnerships with the NBA, WNBA, and Nike (NikeSKIMS) extended the brand beyond pure shapewear into broader lifestyle and athletic categories
- SKIMS is now the dominant driver of Kim Kardashian’s estimated $1.9 billion net worth, surpassing her television and beauty income combined
The Bottom Line
SKIMS works because it paired a genuinely underserved product gap broad, well-engineered sizing with operators who knew how to scale a consumer brand methodically: e-commerce first, retail second, strategic institutional partnerships layered in along the way. Kim Kardashian’s fame opened the door, but the $5 billion valuation reflects six years of disciplined execution by a team that treated SKIMS as a real apparel business, not a one-off celebrity merchandise drop.
Sources
- Fortune: “Kim Kardashian’s Skims is now worth $5 billion after a massive $225 million funding round” https://fortune.com/
- Los Angeles Business Journal: “Kim Kardashian’s Skims Reaches $5 Billion Valuation” https://labusinessjournal.com/
- Finance Monthly: “Kim Kardashian Net Worth 2026” https://www.finance-monthly.com/
- wisetoast: “Kim Kardashian Net Worth” https://wisetoast.com/
- mirrorreview: “Kim Kardashian Net Worth 2026” https://www.mirrorreview.com/
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