American social influencer Kim Kardashian is planning to open the first brick-and-mortar stores of her swimwear brand Skims during the first quarter of next year.
Skims is set to launch a 5000sqft location in Los Angeles, which will be located in West Hollywood, close to Supreme and Kith, followed by a second opening in New York.
“Kim and I can envision a future where years from today there’s a Skims store anywhere in the world you’d find an Apple store or a Nike store,” Jens Grede, the co-founder and CEO of Skims told Bloomberg.
“It marks the second chapter.”
Skims was founded in 2019 by Kim Kardashian and Swedish entrepreneur Grede with the slogan “solutions for every body”, focusing on body positivity and inclusive sizing. Skims come in a variety of sizes ranging from XXS to 5XL.
According to Bloomberg, the company plans to open at least four locations next year and then accelerate growth after those are in place. Stores are being planned for US cities that attract high regional tourism, including Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami.
With 20 per cent of Skims’ consumers from outside the US, Skims also aims to push retail expansion around the globe. The company is considering international flagships after testing location such as Hong Kong and Paris.
Last January, Skims was valued at more than $3.2 billion. The company had a developing physical presence two years ago thanks to collaborations with Nordstrom in the US and Selfridges in the UK. In addition, the brand also unveiled a global design concept through its retail relationship with Australian department retailer David Jones in the same year.
