Dive Brief:
- In a bid for the women’s market, Nike and Skims are launching a new brand together, the companies announced on Tuesday. Aptly dubbed NikeSkims, the first collection from the brand will hit select stores and Nike’s website in the spring.
- Next year, NikeSkims will expand globally, including entering new markets, stores and wholesale partners. The brand will be available in extended sizing and cover “every dimension of athleticism, from the elite to the everyday,” per a Nike press release.
- Using the trademarks of both brands, NikeSkims aims to blend sports performance with style and says it will create training products “crafted to fit the body’s every curve, enhancing its natural form.” Products will include apparel, footwear and accessories.
Dive Insight:
Nike’s partnership with Skims builds on a yearslong effort to connect more deeply with female shoppers. In the past, that’s included improving its sneaker assortment for women and simplifying its leggings and bra offerings, among other efforts. Now, it includes tapping into the power of Kim Kardashian.
Skims, which was founded by the reality TV star in 2019, has swiftly grown its valuation and reach, including launching into men’s two years ago and opening its first permanent store in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood last year. The brand has also dabbled in athletics, signing a deal to become the underwear partner of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball in 2023. Skims has featured both men’s and women’s athletes in its marketing as well, though NikeSkims is for now focused only on women.
“Nike and Skims share a deep commitment to innovation, inclusivity and pushing boundaries, driven by an unwavering belief in the power of women,” Kardashian, co-founder and chief creative officer for Skims, said in a statement. “This partnership is the culmination of that shared vision, delivering product that is meticulously designed to sculpt and perform for every body. Every single detail has been obsessed over and carefully considered.”
For Nike’s part, NikeSkims aims to bring a new generation to athletics and deliver something unique to the market, per the release. It also helps build on Nike’s past support for women, according to Amy Montagne, vice president and general manager of Nike Women’s.
“No footwear or apparel brand delivers the level of support Nike provides to women’s sport and movement,” Montagne said in a statement. “With NikeSkims, we’re deepening that support, listening to the voices of our athletes and women around the world and meeting their needs with a unique and disruptive point of view rooted in strength and style.”
Montagne took over leadership of Nike’s women’s business two years ago after leading the brand’s Asia Pacific and Latin America region. While the growth of Nike’s women’s business has often been a focal point in prior years, even amid corporate culture challenges that spoke otherwise, new CEO Elliott Hill has a host of other priorities on his plate. Taking the helm at a tough time for Nike, which is losing share with young shoppers and posting regular revenue losses, Hill in December said the brand would focus on reinvesting in storytelling, cutting down on promotions and building its wholesale partnerships back up after an overinvestment in DTC.
