With Sha’Carri Richardson, Serena Williams and
co-founder Kim Kardashian front and center, the new NikeSkims collection is built around strength.
Anyone expecting the line to be just about booty-boosting and sexy-sculpting should brace
themselves. Nike is introducing the new collection with a campaign that highlights athletic powerhouses, featuring more than 50 Nike athletes, including gymnast Jordan Chiles, Paralympian Beatriz Hatz
and snowboarder Chloe Kim, as well as collegiate stars from USC and UCLA. Kardashian, the line’s chief creative officer, also appears.
The “Bodies at Work” campaign, directed by Janicza Bravo and shot by Luis Alberto Rodriguez and Rob Woodcox, supports the debut of seven collections and 58
silhouettes, all designed to “sculpt” women during workouts while balancing detail, function and comfort. Three core collections -- Matte, Shine and Airy -- will update seasonally,
alongside four new assortments meant to mix and match across activewear aesthetics.
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Nike and Skims first announced the partnership in
February as a bid to strengthen Nike’s uneven women’s business. While the Swoosh still dominates performance gear, its efforts to win women’s athleisure dollars have lagged rivals.
Skims, meanwhile, has exploded into a $4 billion brand by blending pop culture relevance with product credibility.
“NikeSkims is a bold evolution in how women experience sport and style
-- and together with Skims, we’re delivering what no other brand can,” said Amy Montagne, president of Nike, in the announcement. “It’s part of Nike’s broader commitment
to her: uncompromising product innovation that moves and celebrates women.”
The timing is strategic: NikeSkims launches just as Lululemon, long the queen of American athleisure, shows
rare weakness. The brand recently posted a 7% revenue gain overall, but North American sales fell 4%. Analysts cite mounting competition, softer sportswear spending and tariff pressures.
That
stumble gives Nike and Skims a high-profile chance to muscle in.