CFDA to Award Amazon Fashion Innovation Award to Skims
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If there is any brand deserving of Amazon Fashion’s inaugural Innovation Award with the CFDA, it’s Skims, the generation-defining, inclusive and body-friendly, tech- and social media-led shapewear, innerwear and loungewear business that has been on fire since it launched in 2019.
Skims cofounder and creative director Kim Kardashian, cofounder and chief executive officer Jens Grede and founding partner and chief product officer Emma Grede will accept the honor.
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“We sell out because Kim Kardashian speaks to 333 million people on Instagram, which is like five Super Bowls, and we’re doing it every day with a continuous stream of new and interesting product,” John Howard, chief executive officer of Irving Place Capital and an investor in the brand, told WWD. Skims was a beneficiary of the pandemic as customers leaned into loungewear, became comfortable ordering underwear online and — because the “Fits Everybody” garments are forgiving enough — return rates are lower than average, he explained.
But the brand has transcended even Kardashian’s appeal, becoming a go-to for women who have never even watched an episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” And it is on its way to becoming a full lifestyle collection with expanded offerings including shimmery jersey knit dresses, faux leather boot-cut pants and warp lace catsuits and logo velour track suits.
This year saw Skims go from strength to strength.
In January, the brand revealed a Series B funding round of $240 million led by Lone Pine Capital with additional participation from D1 and existing investors Thrive Capital, Imaginary Ventures and Alliance Consumer Growth, valuing the company at $3.2 billion.
In March, Skims became the first direct-to-consumer fashion brand to offer two-hour delivery in the Los Angeles, California, area by leveraging micro fulfillment centers. It also expanded into swim with the launch of a core collection inspired by Skims’ fit expertise and hosted a pop-up in Miami, Florida, that had 800 customers lining up the night before opening day.
With an eye toward broadening the brand message of representation beyond just size and shape, Skims launched an adaptive collection for those with limited mobility.
Continuing to innovate on fit, in September the brand launched a new bra system with three different collections addressing shape, construction and wear, using research from a year of fittings and tests on hundreds of women.
Skims recruited a diverse group of women to model for the launch campaign, including Becky G, Brooke Shields, Cassie, Chelsea Handler, Juliette Lewis and Indya Moore. The rollout also included 50 more diverse women representing a variety of body types, with video assets showcasing their backgrounds, occupations and more.
For the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Skims continued its partnership with Team USA, tapping Chloe Kim, Oksana Masters, Madison Chock, Aja Evans, Maame Biney and Amber Glenn for the campaign.
Skims also cast supermodel Kate Moss and global pop star Rosalía in campaigns throughout the year, and brought together Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandro Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel to showcase the Fits Everybody underwear.
“Overall, 2022 was a big year for Skims, and there are so many moments to highlight,” the trio told WWD. “We are so proud of what we’ve built at Skims and are even more excited for the brand’s future, so it’s an honor to be recognized by an organization such as the CFDA. We thank the CFDA and Amazon Fashion for acknowledging our efforts in the industry as we continue to innovate and create wardrobe solutions for every body.”
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