Why Kim Kardashian's bold move into sportswear could redefine women's activewear
It's a coming together of two American icons that simultaneously makes total sense and zero sense. When the collaboration between Kim Kardashian's SKIMS fashion juggernaut with the world's biggest sportswear giant, Nike, to launch the NikeSKIMS sub brand, was announced last month, opinion was divided. Kim's not a sportsperson, seemed to be the most pervasive message from the anti-camp; while a massive hell-yeah for bringing the female-focused, solutions-oriented vision of SKIMS into the male-dominated sports arena echoed around those in favour.
A week prior to the announcement Nike had already made it clear that its future is female by unveiling the brand's first Super Bowl campaign in nearly 30 years. 'So Win' heralded the heroism of female athletes bang in the middle of the US's most masculine sporting event. Make no bones about it, Nike needs women to stay on top. The likes of Lululemon and Alo have been stealing women's hearts, minds and share of spend steadily over the last decade. Anecdotally, as a fitness instructor, I see more Lulu logos than Nike worn by the women in my classes. SKIMS, tagline 'Solutions for Every Body', undoubtedly knows women's bodies. And, as Nike proclaims, 'If you have a body, you are an athlete'. As a sportswear fanatic, I will absolutely be tracking down pieces from NikeSKIMS when it launches in the States this spring, rolling out globally in 2026.
At this point, I should confess to having skin in the game. Over the last year or so, myself and a Dubai-based fashion designer have been developing a performance-led high-end women's sportswear brand in response to a gap in the market for workout clothes that perform during intense training sessions without compromising on style (where SKIMS is sexy, our lodestone is chic). Set to launch in a couple of months, we want dressing for the gym to generate as much of an endorphin rush as you'd feel after an hour of cardio, weights or Hyrox prep.
We're not the only ones with this mindset. The 2024 Paris Olympics set the stage for a new era of sports style rising from the birthplace of high fashion. The legendary former French Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld is launching a new media brand, Players, celebrating the intersection of fashion and sport. Debuting this May, the biannual title is billed by Roitfeld as being 'a space where sport and high fashion collide in ways no one has seen before'.
In recent years, we've seen multiple luxury brands team up with sports giants as wardrobes increasingly become less formal. Balenciaga brought Under Armour onto its cruise 2025 runway, Miu Miu's with New Balance, Loewe's at On and Hoka's hooked up with Marni this season. In previous years Dior x Jordan fuelled frantic buying across resale forums, and Adidas – which started working with British fashion designer Stella McCartney on women's sportswear back in 2005 – has since collaborated with everyone from Gucci to Balenciaga (I have a pair of real leather Prada x Adidas Superstar sneakers from 2020, that I am too scared to wear in case they get scuffed, thus defeating the object of sports shoes).
Sticking a designer label on a sneaker is a fine way of allowing a luxury customer to combine comfort and status, but, for me at least, far more interesting is developing desirable products that promote movement, wellbeing, and, well, actual sports. Which is what, on paper at least, NikeSKIMS is promising. I want to be able to run, jump, sweat and lift without compromising my personal style. I wouldn't wear floral leggings and a shapeless T-shirt to a restaurant, why should I wear them to the gym?
I mentioned the Copenhagen-based womenswear brand Rotate last week, and it's just been announced that the label, best known for sparkly party frocks, has reimagined the Danish National Women's Football team kit (albeit sans sequins).
More women in sport, dressing like we want to (not like we have to)? Score!
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