Nike is setting up a team of executives and designers to operate a new brand with the entrepreneur and star of reality show Kim Kardashian, who is the founder of the Skims clothing brand, plans to launch his first collection for women this half year in the US.
Called NikeSkims, the project was kept confidential for more than a year until the two companies caused a partnership in February. Vago ad promised to deliver a new line of “training clothing, shoes and accessories” and pledged to expand the brand globally in 2026. Companies did not disclose financial terms.
Details about the partnership are emerging, and sources familiar with the project state that it goes beyond a traditional fashion collaboration. Instead, they say NikeSkims will work under Nike as a sub-mark, very similar to Nike SB, the company’s skate business.
This means that the NikeSkims brand will have its own products, marketing and growth goals, and will be administered separately from Nike basketball, running, and other sports divisions.
Nike’s biggest partnership is with Basketball Superstrela Michael Jordan, whose brand has its own management team at Nike and grew up to a business of almost $ 7 billion.
Kardashian insinuated the independent brand structure when he posted a nikeskim employee who indicated that she was the number one employee. Since then, the project team has been working on weekends using Code Words and secret meetings to prepare the new brand for the debut, said one of Nike executives.
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The bets are tall for the world’s largest sportswear company, which has struggled to bring new products to the market in recent years and has not been able to win female customers such as rivals Lululemon and Alo Yoga.
Nikeskims collaboration also occurs at a critical moment for CEO Elliott Hill, who left retirement to lead the company last October after the departure of his predecessor, John Donahoe.
Hill promised to reverse the company’s problems, which was overly supported by his decades’ lifestyle franchises and was slow to develop new items.
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Hill’s arrival initially boosted Nike actions, but Nike’s shares have fallen more than 24% so far this year.
Nike’s secret about his skim project has generated confusion about how Kardashian’s intimidated intimidities business fits Hill’s recovery plan, which emphasizes a return to Nike sports roots and a focus on athletes instead of fashion. Hill stated that fitness products are a priority.
Skims approached Nike with the initial idea, and both parties have been working on the project since October 2023, under the command of the previous Nike CEO, according to a person familiar with the subject who was not allowed to speak publicly about the partnership.
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Hill has ruled out some of Donahoe’s other projects of interest, such as RTFKT, Nike’s Virtual Tennis Division.
“It didn’t look very authentic to the brand,” said Gina Clementi, a brand strategist who worked at Nike for 12 years before leaving in 2017. Although she’s not working on the new brand, she said she doesn’t see how Nikeskims is “built on any kind of athletic achievements.”
When sought to comment, representatives of Nike and Skims referred to a previous statement by Heidi O’Neill, consumer president, product and brand of Nike, who said the partnership “unlocks an incredible opportunity to disturb the industry”, and a statement by Skims CEO, Jens Grid, who said they are “ready to create a new standard in the active clothing market.”
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Kardashian, which raised $ 270 million in 2023, valuing skims at $ 4 billion, is not its typical Nike athlete. But she has been informally connected to Nike for years, according to people familiar with the relationship.
Kardashian’s beauty partnership with Coty ended this year after she repurchases the 20% of the company she had sold to the cosmetics giant.
Its connection with Nike comes after years of support for Adidas Tennis, using Yeezy products created by his ex-husband-the designer previously known as Kanye West. A representative of Kardashian refused to comment.
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In more than two months since Kardashian posted his black and red badges from Nikeskims, Hill revealed very little about the brand.
He told investors in March only that “we have identified a consumer need and we are creating a new market of style -guided products that sculpt and perform.”
In recent weeks, however, Nike has transferred employees to NikeSkims, including at least five executives in marketing and operations.
The management has selected Nike Veteran Jordan Mills, who has been with the company for 14 years to lead division operations, which has been hiring more product development employees, goods planning, studio operations and graphic design, according to published job openings.
NikeSkims has two skim-general co-general: Marketing Executive Tracy Romulus and merchandising executive Paula Galperin.
The Nike team, led by female fitness executive Jaclyn Safley, is located at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, and Los Angeles, where Skims is based, according to recent job openings.
Safley, Mills and Galperin did not respond to comments requests. Romulus refused to comment.
Wall Street Analysts say they are waiting to see if Nikeskims can make Nike more competitive in the Athleisure market and increase women’s sportswear business, which grew $ 8.6 billion in annual sales, but are still much lower than $ 21 billion in the men’s sector.
“Athletic brands have a mixed history with celebrity partnerships, but NikeSkims seems to be a big win for Nike,” said Telsey Advisory Group analyst Cristina Fernández. “It helps the fact that skims already have a considerable revenue flow and be a rapidly growing brand.”
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