It’s called Skims and they sell shapewear for every body type. Easily one of the fastest-growing apparel brands ever. So how is Kim doing it?
First let’s rule out a few things. • it’s not because she has 364M IG followers • it’s not because she has a reality show • it’s not because she’s a tabloid fixture People love to serve up these obvious answers. But it’s level-1 thinking. And it sets a false expectation of how brands actually grow. So let’s go deeper. To be clear, Kim could slap her name on anything and drive millions in sales. Easily $20M. Maybe $50M.
I’ll be generous and say Kim is solely responsible for $100M of Skims revenue. Purely off that coveted Kardashian halo. But Skims pulled in $750M in 2023. And $500M the year before. These numbers are insane. This isn’t Kim’s D2C side hustle. It’s a mega brand in the making. Here’s how she’s actually doing it: 1/ Skims touches on a simple unifying belief Fashion should adapt to your body, not the other way around.
Skims prioritizes diversity, inclusivity, and comfort for all. Millions of people can rally behind this. And they do. 2/ Skims proves that they’re the real deal • 100,000 5-star customer testimonials • 29,400 influencer mentions in 2023 • 7M followers on social media • 100’s of glowing media reviews Even the rowdy reddit crowd are loving this brand. 3/ Skims super-serves the customer Kim and crew make great shapewear. Simple as that. And that’s the cornerstone of this whole thing. No amount of community hacking will work if your product sucks.
Skims launched with Kim as the main character. And then did a whole bunch more to build a powerhouse. Influencers are critical to any marketing strategy. But thinking a single person could forklift a $4 billion brand is absurd. Even if her name ends in Kardashian. #marketing #growth #brand
P.S. I’m going deeper on all this in my book. It comes out in 2024. If you want early access (plus my best content weekly) get on my email list. Hit the link at the top of my profile.
P.P.S. At Influicity, we’ve systemized this playbook. It’s a rigorous process that drives predictable results. We love showcasing brands like Skims who demonstrate how it’s done.
