The Swoosh is stumbling. Sales are down. Stock value has taken a nosedive—down over 25% in the past year. The new CEO is sweating through his performance fleece. Nike, once the titan of sportswear, is in trouble. Enter Kim Kardashian, the queen of social media, body-sculpting fabric, and turning anything she touches into gold.
Nike just announced a game-changing partnership with Kardashian’s shapewear empire, SKIMS, birthing a new brand: NikeSKIMS. According to the press release, this new fusion of fitness and fashion will “disrupt the global fitness and activewear industry with best-in-class innovation in service of all women athletes.” Corporate-speak aside, what this really means is that Nike is hitching itself to the Kardashian marketing juggernaut in an attempt to stay relevant.
Details are scarce—no prices, no product images, just the promise of a U.S. rollout this spring at select retail locations, with a global launch in 2026. What we do know is that this is a first for Nike, a brand that has always built from within, relying on legendary athletes (see: Michael Jordan) rather than external partnerships. The financial terms remain undisclosed, but let’s be real—this is a desperate move to recapture the attention of a market increasingly dominated by Lululemon, Alo, and upstart brands like Hoka and On.
Nike’s been fumbling its grip on the women’s activewear space for years. According to retail analyst Neil Saunders, the company has lost its magic touch in storytelling, innovation, and consumer engagement. Enter SKIMS, a $4 billion behemoth that has expanded beyond its original shapewear focus into menswear and even signed sponsorship deals with the NBA, WNBA, and Team USA. In other words, Kim Kardashian knows how to sell clothes better than Nike does right now.
Meanwhile, the sneaker giant is watching customers turn away from overpriced athleisure and running shoes in favor of experiences—concerts, travel, anything that doesn’t involve dropping $150 on a new pair of kicks. Even a CEO switch-up hasn’t stopped the bleeding: Nike reported an 8% drop in sales last quarter. But here’s the kicker—news of the Kardashian partnership sent Nike’s stock up nearly 3%, while Lululemon’s took a hit.
So is this a bold new chapter for Nike or just a desperate grasp at relevance? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: Kardashian has once again positioned herself as the most powerful woman in retail, and Nike just wrote her a blank check to save them.
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Last modified: February 19, 2025
