If there’s one brand that deserves the inaugural Amazon Fashion Innovation Award with the CFDA, it’s Skims, the shapewear, underwear, and underwear business that’s been on fire since it started. released in 2019.
Skims Co-Founder and Creative Director Kim Kardashian, Co-Founder and CEO Jens Grede and Founding Partner and Chief Product Officer Emma Grede will accept the honor.
“We sell ourselves because Kim Kardashian speaks to 333 million people on Instagram, which is like five Super Bowls, and we do it every day with a continual stream of exciting new products,” John Howard, CEO of Irving Place. Capital and investor in the brand, he told WWD. Skims benefited from the pandemic as customers gravitated toward underwear, felt comfortable ordering underwear online, and because “Fits All” garments are lenient enough, return rates are lower. lower than average, he explained.
But the brand has transcended even Kardashian appeal, becoming an option for women who have never seen an episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” And it’s on its way to becoming a full lifestyle collection with expanded offerings including shimmery knit knit dresses, faux leather bootcut pants, and warp lace catsuits and logo velor track suits.
This year saw Skims go from strength to strength.
In January, the brand disclosed a $240 million Series B funding round 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, leveraging micro-distribution centers. It also expanded into swimwear by launching a basic collection inspired by the Skims fit experience and hosted a pop-up in Miami, Florida that had 800 customers lining up the night before opening day.
Looking to expand the brand’s representational message beyond size and shape, Skims launched an adaptable collection for people with limited mobility.
Continuing to innovate in fit, in September the brand launched a new bra system with three different collections that address fit, construction and wear, using a year’s worth of fit research and testing 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 launch also featured 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 his association with Team USA, casting 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, bringing together Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandro Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel to showcase Fits Everybody underwear.
“Overall, 2022 was a great year for Skims and there are a lot of highlights,” the trio told WWD. “We are very proud of what we have built at Skims and even more excited for the future of the brand, so it is an honor to be recognized by an organization like CFDA. We thank the CFDA and Amazon Fashion for recognizing our efforts in the industry as we continue to innovate and create wardrobe solutions for everyone.”
Source: news.google.com