Kim Kardashian West

There’s no denying, Kim Kardashian, Vogue Arabia’s September 2019 cover star, has an impactful influence on fashion. While today her choices are often sleek and inspiring, her journey to obtaining the polished, Instagram-worthy look has been a little rocky along the way.
When Kardashian first made a name for herself – as Paris Hilton’s stylist and friend – her style featured figure-hugging bodycon dresses, in the noughties IT bags and oversized gold hoops were her go-to accessories of choice. Over a decade later, and beauty mogul has transitioned into a sartorial trailblazer with a fearless approach to fashion. Her daring style is emulated around the world. Whether she’s wearing an emerging streetwear label or a vintage designer relic, the KKW effect has the power to create a new craze, or controversy – either way, she gets people talking.
“I think that Kim Kardashian’s style evolution is definitely something worth mentioning,” says Egyptian celebrity fashion stylist, Yasmine Eissa, “Kim is a perfect reference for how fashion can be a great marketing and PR tool. She started off by wearing high-end party dresses, which were all wearable and could be sourced. She later transformed her style into a bold, unique look. We now see her in second-skin silhouettes, mesh and plastic fabrics, exotic leathers and a lot of pastel and nude colors. She opts for cutouts, transparent pieces, the latest catwalk looks and custom made outfits. Her style is definitely controversial, but it makes her the woman everyone wants to copy.”
In the early years of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the former reality TV star made laid-back red-carpet appearances in jeans and knee-high boots. This was followed by a series of wrap dresses and platform wedges – before she advanced to designer outfits from the likes of Givenchy, Azzedine Alaïa and Balmain. Kardashian was then spotted on front rows at fashion week and formed close friendships with some of the industry’s most noteworthy names; including Olivier Rousteing, Riccardo Tisci, and Valentino Garavani.
As Kardashian’s style has evolved, we’ve learned to appreciate her elevated take on athleisure, her monochromatic dressing in earthy tones and her interesting play on proportions – often styling an exaggerated fur coat with a waist-pinching bodysuit. In recent years, she has taken inspiration from her former designer-husband Kanye West and adopted a low-key, street-inspired aesthetic, yet she has always maintained a penchant for skintight silhouettes that have become her signature style throughout the years.
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Kim Kardashian West wearing her Skims loungewear. Photo: Courtesy of Skims

Kim Kardashian West is a very busy lady. A mother to four children; a lawyer in training; an activist for prison reform; the head of a global beauty empire; a member of the most famous family in the world outside of the royals, and someone who knows how to take good selfies. Then, of course, there’s the impending divorce from her husband, Kanye West. All in all, there’s a lot going on and she’s still only 40. It’s a miracle she still has time for Skims — even more impressive is what she’s achieved with the brand.
When we think about shapewear, images of constrictive, dowdy, beige girdles come to mind — tools to hide the body. Skims is all about celebrating and accentuating your curves, empowering the women who wear it. In fact, since its launch in 2019, the body-positive shapewear brand has been quietly revolutionising the global underwear industry with its inclusive messaging and diverse range of products that cater to all shapes, sizes and skin tones. It’s the Fenty Beauty of the shapewear world, taking on the likes of Spanx, which has dominated the industry for so long.
Recently expanding to include loungewear (Paris Hilton is a fan), lingerie, and lizardwear (yes, she really did dress North’s pet lizard in Skims) the brand is just as much about feeling good as it is about looking good — which is exactly what we need right now.
Photo: Courtesy of Ounass

Vogue snatched a few minutes from Kardashian West’s busy schedule to talk about her journey so far and her dreams for the future of her brand.
Skims is now in its second year — what was the impetus behind launching a shapewear brand?
“Overall, I really just wanted to give people options when getting dressed. From innovative shapewear that you can wear every day to the comfiest underwear that perfectly moulds to your body — I wanted to create a brand that could be relied on as a true solution for how people dress today. In doing this, it was especially important that we were size-inclusive and offered a range of colors.”
What was missing from the shapewear industry that you wanted to address?
“I used to cut up and sew different styles of shapewear together to create the silhouette I wanted because I could never find the shape I was looking for. Other brands would either flatten my curves, pinch into my skin or roll down. I would also dye pieces with tea bags to match my skin tone as there was such a limited offering of colors on the market. All this experimenting made me notice a gap in the market and realise that there hadn’t been any innovation in this space for so long. It felt like the perfect time to bring a fresh perspective to the shapewear industry that would feel relevant for today.”
How important are diversity and inclusivity for Skims?
“Diversity and inclusivity are in our brand DNA. We started Skims with those two elements being front of mind and today they continue to be the driving forces behind ensuring that what we create is for everyone and everybody.”
What is it you want your customers to feel when wearing Skims?
“Confident! And comfortable. All of our collections are made from materials that you can wear all day, every day. Being comfortable is really important to me and I’m a firm believer that when you feel your best, you look your best. You can always find me in Skims PJs or our Fits Everybody underwear because of how effortless and easy they are.”
What are you most proud of so far in terms of the brand?
“I love hearing how much our customers enjoy the product and seeing them in the clothes — I can’t get enough! To know that we’re giving people options and providing solutions that actually work is so rewarding and I’m extremely grateful.”
How do you hope the brand will evolve?
“My goal for Skims is to continue to expand our product offering and keep finding new ways to create solutions that work for all women, all the time. We’re creating the next generation of underwear, shapewear and loungewear by consistently bringing our customers newness and excitement with each drop, and I am so thankful for the dialogue we have with our community along the way.”
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Originally published on Vogue.co.uk

Kim Kardashian West wearing her Skims loungewear. Photo: Courtesy of Skims

Kim Kardashian West‘s Skims brand is on its way to the region. The shape-enhancing undergarment brand will be exclusively available in the Middle East on Ounass.
Skims will be exclusively launching on the luxury e-tailer on December 14, offering those in the region access to her transformative clothing collections. Since its launch in September 2019, Skims has become a revolutionary clothing concept, specializing in body-enhancing shapewear in a diverse range of skin tones. It saw immediate success, with the first collection selling out in minutes, and has since gone on to sell more than three million pieces worldwide.
Photo: Courtesy of Skims

“I’ve always played with shapewear throughout my whole career and viewed it as a solution category. Before Skims I used to cut up shapewear, dye it, and even use shipping tape in order to create a perfect look,” Kardashian West told Vogue Arabia. “It was all this experimenting that made me notice a gap in the market that I knew I had the experience to fill. From there, Skims was born.”
The brand initially entered the fashion world in the women’s luxury lingerie market, however, it soon shifted to a daily womenswear label. Over its first year of operations, Skims has also expanded into loungewear, becoming a huge hit in the coronavirus era, where many found themselves swapping their closet’s best threads for more comfortable attire.
Now, the label offers a variety of undergarments, loungewear, and shapewear in several different collections. Kardashian West highlights the Cozy and Sleep collections among her favorite as “these collections are perfect to lounge in and wear to bed.”
Photo: Courtesy of Skims

Each garment from the Skims brand has been designed by Kardashian West for everybody and all bodies “no matter their shape, size or color” to smooth, enhance, lift, and tone their figures. “Everyone loves soft and comfy clothing,” the former Vogue Arabia cover star says. “With Skims we wanted to make sure that we bring our customers comfort in a cool and modern way. With our shapewear and all of our loungewear collections, we made sure that each silhouette is both stylish and soft so you can feel your best self in every style,” she added.
Noting Dubai as one of her favorite places, Kardashian West has shared her elation at bringing her brand to the Middle East. ” I am excited for Skims to continue to expand and have a larger global presence,” she said. “I can’t wait for Ounass customers to discover and try the products.”
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