Nike and Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims announced Tuesday they are teaming up for a new line of activewear for women. NikeSkims is set to launch this spring, but it is already looking like a winner for the sportswear giant. The company’s share price rose 6.2% Tuesday to close at $77.59 on a day stocks overall were flat. The jump added $6.7 billion to Nike’s market value.
Talks between the two brands have been in the works for roughly a year, according to Puck. The line of training apparel, footwear, and accessories will roll out in the U.S. online and at “select retail locations,” with a global launch planned for 2026.
This is the first time that Nike has partnered with an outside company for a new brand, and it hopes the move can help stem the tide after losing ground in recent years to women-centric activewear producers, such as Lululemon and Alo. Nike returned to Super Bowl advertising this year for the first time in 27 years with a 90-second spot that featured only female Nike endorsers, including WNBA players Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson, as well as gymnast Jordan Chiles, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and tennis player Aryna Sabalenka.
In October, Nike veteran Elliott Hill returned to the company to replace CEO John Donahoe. The company had been reeling, with revenue for its latest fiscal year of $51.4 billion, a mere 0.3% increase over the previous year. The only years worse in the past two decades were at the start of COVID-19 (2019-20) and on the heels of the financial crisis (2009-10).
Kardashian co-founded Skims with Jens Grade in 2019, and the celebrity entrepreneur with 358 million Instagram followers is the firm’s chief creative officer. In 2023, the company was valued at $4 billion during its Series C funding round. Forbes estimates Kardashian’s net worth at $1.7 billion, with the majority of it tied to her equity stake in Skims.
Skims has previously collaborated with luxury brands, such as Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi. In sports, Skims did Olympic collections for Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024. Last year, Skims became the WNBA’s official underwear partner and used Cameron Brink, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Candace Parker and Kelsey Plum in its marketing.
