Dive Brief:
- Apparel brand Skims — which was co-founded by Kim Kardashian — on Monday opened its first European pop-up shop in the U.K. with retailer Selfridges, according to details emailed to Retail Dive.
- The pop-up will be open Monday through July 8 and is located at Selfridges’ The Corner Shop in London. The retailer will reveal a new selection of Skims swimwear and apparel available in-store and online every Monday, including limited-edition pieces. Selfridges will open a redesigned and expanded permanent Skims shop-in-shop this summer.
- Customers can purchase a maximum of six Skims swimwear pieces. Additionally, Skims plans to expand into free-standing brick-and-mortar stores across the U.K. and EU territories over the next three years.
Dive Insight:
Skims’ latest pop-up shop adds to the company’s growing list of in-person activations and wholesale partnerships.
“I’m thrilled to open our first international pop-up experience at the iconic Selfridges Corner Shop. We expect demand and buzz to be high as this is the first time SKIMS Swim will be available in retail outside of the U.S,” Jens Grede, Skims co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “The pop-up experience will set the tone for the future of SKIMS in London, as the cultural and fashion destination is a key market for our global expansion.”
Selfridges Keyholder members have priority access to shop for the first 30 minutes during Monday launch days, according to the retailer’s website. The pop-up location is designed to look like a summer Los Angeles poolside oasis and will offer custom Skims ice cream treats by Chin Chin Labs.
Skims — which sells underwear, apparel and more — has steadily been expanding its physical footprint.
The brand in May opened a pop-up shop in New York City at Rockefeller Center. The summer-focused space featured a blue theme with a diving board water feature. It also offered food provided by Morgenstern’s Ice Cream.
Earlier in May, the brand opened a dedicated space inside Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship store. The space showcases Skims’ body-positive collections including Fits Everybody, Seamless Sculpt and Cotton alongside its Soft Lounge and Boyfriend styles. Skims also plans to be available in more Saks doors by the end of this quarter, including stores in Houston, Boston and Bal Harbour, Florida.
Skims also expanded its C-suite in January, hiring Robert Norton as its chief commercial officer. Norton previously served as president at the Italian luxury brand Moncler and acted as CEO of Americas at Roberto Cavalli.
