Nike Bets Big on Kim Kardashian

More than 40 years ago, Michael Jordan helped Nike become the name in basketball sneakers. Today it’s betting that Kim Kardashian can help it do the same for women’s shapewear.

On Tuesday, Nike is announcing the creation of NikeSkims, a new brand in partnership with Skims, the shapewear Goliath co-founded by Ms. Kardashian. NikeSkims marks the first time that Nike has joined with an existing, outside company to introduce a new brand.

“It’s this great clash of performance product — athlete tested, athlete inspired — with Skims’s incredible attention to the female form of the body and inclusivity,” said Heidi O’Neill, the president of consumer, product and brand at Nike.

The brand, she said, will “serve women so they can feel strong and sexy.”

The two companies have been working on NikeSkims since October 2023. Skims, which has conquered the shapewear market with its curve-accentuating leggings, bodysuits and tops, first reached out to Nike about working together.

The initial crop of products will hit Skims and Nike websites and select stores in the United States in spring 2025. NikeSkims will roll out globally next year.

If Skims’s shapewear is designed for everyday wear, NikeSkims will be targeted toward hourlong HIIT classes and sweaty treadmill sessions. It will utilize existing training-tested textiles, like Dri-Fit, as well as “innovations that are built more uniquely for Skims,” according to Ms. O’Neill. She did not share specifics on pricing, but a pair of Nike’s high-waist Dri-Fit leggings sells for $60, just a smidgen more than Skims’s $56 cotton leggings.