SKIMS x Fendi: The Collab That We Never Needed

This past Monday morning, the fashion industry awoke to the news of a new luxury collaboration, this time between Kim Kardashian-West’s (KKW) SKIMS brand and prestigious Italian luxury house Fendi. The collaboration, spearheaded by Fendi’s new-ish creative director Kim Jones, was rumored earlier this month when Instagram account @connie_personal_shopping, a personal shopper based in the U.K., posted, or rather, leaked a range of pictures of midi and mini body-con dresses through her Instagram stories. The pictures also showed an ivory white cropped top and pencil skirt set, embossed with both companies’ logos and crafted from a stretch knitted fabric. She hinted at a November release date, saying that she would be taking pre-orders for her clients.

The Instagram stories were spread quickly through the internet creating a huge buzz around the possible collaboration. Now, right on queue, both Kardashian-West and Jones have taken to the internet to officially announce the collection, out November 9th, accompanied by a cover and adjacent story on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The initial hype over the collaboration has now seemingly died out. Somethings are better left a mystery, and for some reason, the industry was far more excited over the collection when it was still just a rumor. There are many reasons for this, one of them being that logo-mania stockings and shape-wear is neither revolutionary nor exciting, but primarily because the collection feels a bit mismatched and random.

Jones is definitely no stranger to collaborations. From joining forces with artists like Kaws for Fendi RTW collections to the most recent Fendace show, he excels at the art of combining two different things to make something new. And the industry seems to gravitate to his talent. But the most recent collaboration seems to be just a bit off, and has left us all wondering: why?

For starters, KKW is currently at least three months deep into a worldwide Balenciaga tour. Since August, Kardashian-West has been wearing Balenciaga exclusively. She recreated her wedding to rapper Kanye West in Balenciaga couture, wore an all-black look from the brand to the Met Gala in September, and offered multiple on-brand costume changes on her most recent appearance on Saturday Night Live. If there is any collaboration that makes sense right now, it is one between her and Demna Gvasalia, but the fashion industry has a bad habit of not paying attention to what the audience truly wants.

This collab collection can be seen as nonsensical as there is no clear target market that they are trying to reach. Who exactly is the SKIMS x Fendi customer? SKIMS pieces normally retail anywhere between $18 and $70 with sets costing upwards of $100. This allows Kardashian-West to do what she does best and reach the masses. A RTW collection offered by one of, if not the most, famous celebrities in the world at relatively affordable prices is what has made the SKIMS brand so successful. But the Fendi x SKIMS prices are far from their usual $60. Items in the Fendi collaboration range from $100 to $4,200, far surpassing the prices that loyal SKIMS customers are accustomed to paying.

According to WSJ, it is a complete ready-to-wear collection, including form-fitting tops and dresses starting at $950, $1,100 leggings and a $2,950 puffer jacket. All of which completely alienates a huge chunk of KKW’s loyal SKIMS customers.

So what about the people that are already spending thousands of dollars on leggings? The problem is that the affluent consumer is already accustomed to the brands and retailers that they enjoy, and asking them to invest in a SKIMS collaboration might be like asking someone who only shops at Chanel if they would like a bag from Guess. And before anyone tries to jump ahead, I can guarantee you right here and right now that the influencers that we will soon see rocking the collab on Instagram did not pay for said garments. 

The only clear conclusion that we can come to as fashion critics, is that the collaboration is nothing more than a money grab. Fendi is a major force in the fashion industry; anything that the brand decides to put its name on is instantly sought after. Kardashian-West is similarly a hugely influential force with her image serving as a sentient billboard. The only conversation surrounding this collaboration that makes sense is one about marketing, brand image, and very big paychecks.

Kim Jones is working tirelessly to solidify his name at the house of Fendi, although this stunt might land him in the outs with High Fashion Twitter. In the same way, KKW is not one to shy away from a very big check that will not bounce.

Overall, was the collaboration cute? Sure. Could we have ended 2021 without it? Absolutely. Only time will tell how successful the teaming up of the Kims will truly be.