Skims: The $4 Billion Success Story

Valued at $4 billion in 2023 (€3.6 billion), Kardashian’s underwear and swimwear label (she counts 355 million followers on Instagram) has rapidly begun to emulate the great fashion houses. Its minimal, understated aesthetic echoes the quiet luxury trend; its flagships are located on America’s prime shopping streets; and collaborations with renowned designers strengthen its positioning.

The formula is working: on launch day in 2019, the brand generated $2 million in sales within minutes. With one of the broadest size ranges in the industry—from XXS to 5XL—and an inclusive palette of skin tones, Kardashian redefined shapewear. Diversity, inclusivity and female empowerment have been the brand’s rallying cries to win over a vast consumer base.

Following a $270 million funding round in 2023, Skims’ revenue climbed to nearly $900 million, propelling Kardashian to seventh place on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest celebrities in 2025, with an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion.

Behind the name long tied to reality TV lies a savvy entrepreneur who has managed to convert fame from Keeping Up with the Kardashians into a serious business empire.

Not all her ventures have succeeded—her mobile game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood faded from relevance last year, her Kardashian Beauty line was criticized for questionable ingredients, and her private equity firm SKKY fell short of fundraising goals. Yet Kardashian has consistently played to her strengths while moving on quickly from missteps. The billionaire is also a model for Balenciaga, a podcast co-producer, actress and TV host, while raising four children from her marriage to rapper Kanye West. In 2023, she was invited to Harvard Business School to present Skims during a two-hour conference. Two years later, in May 2025, she announced she had earned her law degree after six years of study—a pivot undertaken to sit for the California bar exam and eventually open her own law firm. A woman of controversial fame and limitless ambition, Kardashian continues to surprise her audience.