Kim Kardashian Wants Men to Wear Skims, Too

◆ WSJ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Kim Kardashian’s shapewear empire is stretching toward a new kind of customer.

This week Skims is adding men’s boxers, briefs, undershirts, T-shirts, tank tops and leggings to its online store, building on its popular collection of nude-toned bras, bodysuits and underwear for women.

Kardashian said she sees an opportunity to bring higher-end products to a men’s category dominated by mass brands. “There really is a niche in the marketplace for our designs, our color tones and our materials,” she said in an interview.

Numerous upstart companies, including Skims, have sought to grab market share from giants like Victoria’s Secret in recent years with products that promised a better fit and more comfort. Skims co-founder and CEO Jens Grede believes men’s underwear is ripe for that sort of disruption.

“The men’s category as a whole, has really been a race to the bottom, of multi-packs and discounts,” said Jens Grede. “We’re trying to excel and show men that there’s just a different level of comfort and performance you can have in your first layer.” Pieces will range in price from $16 to $54, and packs from $42 to $98. The items will feature cotton, stretch and compression fabrics. Sizes will run from XS to 5X.
 

Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel-industry analyst at market-research firm Circana, said men’s underwear has become a competitive category, with $5.7 billion in sales over the last 12 months. 

“Traditional giants like Hanes and Fruit of the Loom continue to hold their ground, but the landscape is evolving,” said Classi-Zummo. “Active brands, private labels, and direct-to-consumer players are fiercely competing for a spot in every man’s underwear drawer.” The Skims men’s line features shape-hugging underwear and minimalist athleisure that hews to a neutral palette of brown, khaki, gray and black.

To attract male customers, Skims is relying on star athletes. The brand has tapped Brazilian soccer star Neymar, NBA player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunders and NFL defensive end Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers for its first ad campaign.

“If you really want to communicate with hundreds of thousands of men, sports is the platform to do it,” Grede said. 

Kardashian said she hoped the athletes will help Skims show that its pieces can fit a range of body types. “They’re all just individually so great in their fields, but also all three are so different,” she said.

Skims launched in 2019 with lingerie and compression shapewear available in a range of nude tones. Today the brand has a $4 billion valuation, with $670 million in total funding.

Grede said the brand is projected to reach $750 million in net sales this year. Grede didn’t share a timeline for an IPO but said “I believe Skims deserves to be a public company when the time is right.”

Kardashian said Skims shoppers often requested men’s products for their boyfriends and husbands. Skims spent three years developing its men’s line, which Kardashian said could later include pajamas, loungewear and shapewear.
 

Skims is opening its first stores next year in New York and Los Angeles, which Grede said will sell both men’s and women’s. While Skims’ women’s products sell at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Net-a-Porter, among other select retailers, Grede said its menswear will initially only sell online and in its stores. Eventually, he said, the company plans to sell to retail partners.

In addition to Hanes or Fruit of the Loom, Skims will now also compete with some of America’s biggest sportswear brands like Under Armour and Nike. Grede is also the co-founder of Brady, the sports apparel brand from Tom Brady. A spokesperson said there is no overlap between Brady and Skims.

Kardashian said the brand has been sending its men’s products to influencers and athletes ahead of the launch. The campaign featuring Neymar, Gilgeous-Alexander and Bosa will run across digital, social media and TV.

“The challenge is always to get guys to try on a new product because we are very set in our ways,” Grede said. “To get them to try a new brand can take time, but I think once they try Skims, they won’t go back. Men are obsessed with comfort.”