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Kim Kardashian’s tropical getaways are great for the ’gram, but there’s a business reason behind her wanderlust-inducing vacations, too. She’s been #WFH—that’s working from holiday—on the new swimwear arm of her Skims empire, Skims Swim.
Market research doesn’t get much better than road-testing bikinis on the beach, but for Kim, the priority was ensuring that her swimwear offering was top quality, in terms of both comfort and style. “We’ve taken extra time and care to ensure the quality and fit is perfect before launching,” she told British Vogue ahead of the release.
Skims Swim has been in the pipeline for some time, and the decision to expand the line is a direct result of customer demand over a period of years, according to Kardashian. As she puts it, “You asked, we listened.” But bar a few behind-the-scenes campaign pictures Kim shared with her 292 million followers around a month ago, Kim has kept things largely under wraps until now.
Kim promises that Skims Swim boasts the same level of comfort as her brand’s popular underwear, and she recommends mixing and matching the pieces. “The idea is to build your looks from a large assortment of separates—we have a total wardrobe of swim looks, from skimpy bikinis to sculpting one-pieces to sexy cover ups,” she reveals.
Whether you enjoy baring all or prefer a more modest approach, “there’s something for everyone” in the line, says Kim. Itsy-bitsy bikinis that have become synonymous with the Kardashian aesthetic take centre stage in the collection—modeled by Kim herself—and more demure options include tan tops, unitards, cover-ups and shorts. The palette is very Skims: it features the brand’s signature nudes and neutrals, with pops of electric cobalt and periwinkle thrown in for good measure.
For Kim, it’s all about the fabrics. After testing and trying different materials—“to make sure we were going to exceed expectations and deliver exactly what people wanted”—the design team landed on a “nicely compressive material” that Kim says “holds you in but isn’t restrictive at all. So you can be comfortable all day.”
A final note from one of the most confident women on the planet: “Feeling confident is really important and so many women dread the idea of putting on a swimsuit and baring it all. I wanted to change that and take away the anxiety of buying and wearing swimwear by offering a complete system of solutions and options that aim to suit every taste.” Job done.
Skims Swim launches Friday 18 March at Skims.com.
