BUSINESS
SKIMS: Style In Strategic Alliances
By: Kelly Lanoue Edited by Eleanor Unsworth
When Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede, and Emma Grede founded SKIMS in 2018, they set a goal of constant innovation to exceed industry standards in fashion and shapewear. Fast forward five years, and they are doing just that. They have transformed SKIMS into a multibillion-dollar company by identifying a gap in the market for inclusive sizing in body contouring garments. However, they are not doing it alone. SKIMS has leveraged key partnerships to generate publicity and fuel its rapid expansion. Most recently, the company released its men’s collection in partnership with the NBA, penetrating the men’s clothing market and the sportswear industry. They have also collaborated with Swarovski to launch a collection of crystalized ready-to-wear garments. While these partnerships may seem random, they are strategic alliances that bolster SKIMS’ market position and set them aside from competitors.
Courtesy of Ad Age
When I first heard about SKIMS partnering with the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball, I was a little confused. Why would the NBA need “an official underwear partner”? After digging into the partnership more, it makes perfect sense. SKIMS and the NBA are both culturally influential and share a common goal to unite people of all backgrounds through fashion, sport, and talent. Fashion and professional sports have always aligned, as sports teams have unique brands and apparel that create massive markets.
Aside from fashion within professional teams, fans idolize their favorite athletes and pay close attention to what they wear off the field. Athletes are fashion influencers, particularly in moments of high publicity, like walking into the area where the tunnel has coined the “concrete runway.” SKIMS isn’t the first shapewear brand to partner with athletes. One of their major competitors, SPANX, has NIL deals with over 40 female student-athletes, making this a strategic move to expand its consumer base while staying in line with competitors.
It is also important to note that it is difficult for traditional women’s clothing brands to gain traction in the men’s department through fear of being a “feminine” brand. The partnership with the NBA masculinizes a brand traditionally loved by women and prompts men to join the consumer base. This collaboration will bolster SKIMS’ reputation and market position, aligning them with a widely recognized organization that draws in over a million viewers each basketball season.
While the partnership with the NBA is vital to its expansion, SKIMS’ recent partnership with Swarovski might not stick. In a press release on the new partnership, Kim Kardashian stated, “For this collaboration, we wanted to celebrate individual creativity and bring more glamor into getting dressed every day.” While glamor is a natural part of the Kardashian lifestyle, I doubt consumers with traditional occupations care to have Swarovski crystals under their work clothes, let alone pay extra for crystalized underwear.
Courtesy of Harper's Bazaar
Several pieces in the collection are supposed to be worn out, such as the Jelly Sheer Cami Long Dress and the Jelly Sheet Long Sleeve Crew New Bodysuit. One of the founders, Jens Grede, commented that when you cover the lounge pieces in crystals, they become evening dresses. If SKIMS can get consumers wearing SKIMS lounge pieces outside of the home, this collection can capitalize on this consumer behavior to intentionally make fancy pieces for events.
Surprisingly enough, Swarovski has had a stake in the fashion world since the 1950s when founder Daniel Swarovski partnered with Chanel’s jewelry designers to create costume pieces for fashion shows. Since then, Swarovski crystals have appeared on the runway several times, including Rihanna’s sheer Swarovski dress in 2014. However, the company never made crystalized garments accessible to the average consumer until its partnership with SKIMS. The collection will be sold online as well as in 40 Swarovski stores around the world.
But the question remains: is the average consumer even interested in these garments? Currently, several of the pieces in the collection are sold out or low in stock, but it is possible that when releasing the collection, there was limited availability. It will be interesting to see if this interest remains past the holiday season or if the two organizations expand their business together. The New York Times describes the collaboration as a “low-risk way of testing the waters to see what the market will bear and laying the possible groundwork for more to come.”
Ultimately, these partnerships reveal SKIMS’ strategy to expand through collaborations and exploring ways to reach new consumers, leveraging the brand image of other companies. I am sure SKIMS has more collaborations on the horizon as it seeks to differentiate itself from other shapewear and lounge brands.
