Skims set out to revolutionize the "shapewear" category — essentially tight-fitting undergarments that help "shape" and smooth the body under clothing, typically a dress or form-fitting outfit. It's not a glamorous category like lingerie or luxury footwear, and for decades it was dominated by stiff, uncomfortable, beige-only products made by legacy players who hadn't meaningfully updated their materials or design philosophy in years.
Skims flipped that entire industry on its head. Instead of rigid, old-school shapewear, Kardashian and the Gredes introduced soft, stretchy, breathable fabrics in a wide range of tones and sizes. They turned a private, often-uncomfortable product into something aspirational, wearable, and social-media-friendly.
Upon releasing its first online inventory drop, Skims sold $2 million worth of product in 10 MINUTES. That kind of instant demand made it clear the brand wasn't just filling a gap — it was… pardon the pun… reshaping… the entire category. Pretty soon, investors came calling. Over the next few years, Skims became one of the most sought-after private apparel companies in the world, raising capital at increasingly jaw-dropping valuations. Including a particularly jaw-dropping valuation that was just revealed today…
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SKIMS)
Skims' Skyrocketing Valuations
The numbers behind Skims' rise are wild.
In April 2021, Skims raised capital at a $1.6 billion valuation, an astonishing figure for a two-year-old shapewear startup. Less than a year later, investors pushed that valuation to $3.2 billion, a jump that helped cement Kim Kardashian's status as a newly minted billionaire. In 2023, the company raised another $270 million in a Series C round, nudging its valuation to $4 billion.
Behind those numbers was real financial performance. Skims generated roughly $500 million in revenue in 2022 and was on pace for $750 million in 2023. The brand has since crossed $1 billion in annual net sales as it expanded into underwear, loungewear, men's basics, apparel, and high-profile partnerships. Retail stores opened across New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Boca Raton, and more, giving the digital-native brand a strong brick-and-mortar footprint for the first time.
All of that momentum led to today's news: Skims just raised money at a $5 billion valuation after closing a new $225 million funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives and BDT & MSD Partners. That figure puts Skims among the most valuable privately held fashion companies in the world and positions the brand for aggressive international expansion, including emerging markets that executives have pointed to as the next major growth frontier.
And that $5 billion figure sets up the most important question… how does this impact Kim Kardashian's net worth?
Reshaping Kim's Net Worth
Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede are widely believed to each own 1/3 of Skims, with Jens' wife and co-founder Emma Grede owning a smaller stake. Combined, the trio maintains majority control of the company. With Skims now valued at $5 billion, Kardashian's estimated stake is worth $1.67 billion on paper. At the company's previous $4 billion valuation, Kim's stake was worth $1.32 billion. That $350 million paper increase has pushed Kim's net worth from $1.7 billion to $2 billion.
The Richest Kardashian
Kim Kardashian's new $2 billion net worth doesn't just put her at the top of the Skims empire. It places her miles ahead of her already extremely wealthy and extremely famous family members. Even in a family where everyone has monetized fame at an elite level, nobody is operating anywhere near Kim's financial tier anymore. She's now nearly THREE TIMES richer than Kylie Jenner. Here's how the Kardashian/Jenner family currently stacks up from richest to least rich:
- Kim Kardashian — $2 Billion
- Kylie Jenner — $700 Million
- Kris Jenner — $170 Million
- Kourtney Kardashian — $65 Million
- Khloé Kardashian — $60 Million
- Kendall Jenner — $60 Million
- Caitlyn Jenner — $25 Million
- Rob Kardashian — $10 Million
What Ever Happened To Spanx?
Before Skims took over the shapewear world, Spanx was the undisputed category king. Founded in 2000 by Sara Blakely with just a $5,000 initial investment, Spanx eventually dominated department stores and became one of the most successful apparel startups in history. But in recent years, the brand has noticeably faded from the cultural spotlight — especially compared to the rocket-ship rise of Skims.
In 2021, Sara sold a majority stake in her company to Blackstone at a reported $1.2 billion valuation. The sale officially made her a billionaire.
After the sale, Blakely stepped back from day-to-day operations and the company shifted into a more traditional private-equity operating model. Marketing quieted down, product innovation slowed, and the once-disruptive brand gradually became a stable, mature apparel business instead of a trend-driving force.
Meanwhile, the market changed. Skims entered with a completely different strategy: inclusive tones, modern fabrics, aggressive social-media marketing, celebrity-powered storytelling, and a product line that expanded far beyond basic shapewear. Consumers gravitated to the fresher, more modern brand identity. Skims didn't just compete with Spanx — it leapfrogged it entirely.
To be clear, Spanx is still a large and profitable company, widely sold in department stores and online. And Sara Blakely, thanks to the Blackstone sale, remains a billionaire. But in terms of cultural relevance, growth velocity, and category domination, Skims has fully taken over the spotlight.
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