Nike and SKIMS Unite Under Joint Women's Label: NikeSKIMS
With a new Nike CEO, the move is part of the sports gear titan’s evolving strategy and yet another chapter in the expansion of Kim Kardashian’s business empire.
NikeSKIMS is exactly what it sounds like: Sports gear titan Nike and Kim Kardashian‘s shape-wear brand SKIMS have announced a joint label focussing on women’s activewear enhanced with SKIMS’ solution-oriented design. The announcement arrives at a pivotal moment for both brands as Nike embarks on a new chapter with CEO Elliot Hill and SKIMS continues charging forth with expanding initiatives.
However, for both brands, the moment represents growing attention toward meeting the needs of women athletes and people of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. In an official statement, Kardashian said “Nike and SKIMS share a deep commitment to innovation, inclusivity and pushing boundaries, driven by an unwavering belief in the power of women.”
Since launching in 2019, Kardashian’s shapewear and loungewear brand has taken the category by storm, outperforming names that have served solution-oriented garments for decades. The NikeSKIMS announcement of NikeSKIMS follows SKIMS’ recent collaboration with outdoor gear brand The North Face last December, including redesigned TNF styles in diverse skin-toned colorways that sold out in minutes. During the same month, Kardashian also opened the first-ever SKIMS flagship store in New York City, a 6,570 sqft space spanning four floors.
On the flip side, Nike’s popularity has dwindled in recent years, largely attributed to strategy blunders from former CEO John Donahue, who left the company after four years in 2024. In March 2024, JD Sports CEO Régis Schultz went as far as blaming a lack of innovation from Nike for the UK retail chain’s decrease in sales.
Even sneaker enthusiasts have expressed similar qualms, with popular discourse on Nike’s overreliance on re-released retro silhouettes reverberating in the sneaker world. However, with the return of veteran CEO Elliot Hill, who served at the company for three decades, revived optimism has taken hold at the company.
SKIMS’ pivot towards athletic wear comes as no surprise, as the label has slowly built up an impressive roster of sports collaborations. In 2020 SKIMS began collaborating with the Olympic Team USA at the Tokyo Games and continued supporting the national team during the Beijing 2022 Games, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kardashian’s brand also unveiled its first-collaboration with the WNBA in May 2024, taking the brand’s sporting tie-ups to new heights.
The inaugural NikeSKIMS collection is set for release in Spring 2025 and a global expansion is set to take place in 2026. Stay tuned to HYPEBEAST for updates on the forthcoming collection.
