Chloë Isaac
Edited By Naomi Gupta
SKIMS, Kim Kardashian’s loungewear and lingerie brand, just announced their Valentine’s Day collection—SKIMS Valentine Shop—a collaboration with pop singer Lana Del Rey. The collection draws on the coquette aesthetic—one which the singer has been closely associated with over the course of her career. According to Women’s Wear Daily, SKIMS Valentine Shop has amassed $13.7 million USD in media exposure so far. In an interview with Vogue, Lana Del Rey discussed her love of SKIMS, qualifying it as an “ever-evolving brand.”
The partnership was revealed by Kim Kardashian on January 18th, in an Instagram caption which reads: “Our @SKIMS Valentine LANA DEL REY. Music’s queen of hearts @honeymoon opens our dedicated Valentine’s Shop on Tuesday, January 23 at 9AM PT/ 12PM ET.” The collection is made up of never-before-seen pieces, which feature a variety of prints, colours and styles. A few stand-out pieces include the “Woven Shine Lace Long Dress” priced at $180 CAD (see right), as well as the cherry blossom “Stretch Satin Lace Cropped Corset” ($130 CAD) and matching “Stretch Satin Lace Low Rise Slip Skirt” ($90 CAD) (see below).
Without a doubt, the collection was ingeniously marketed; the photos of Lana Del Rey vividly capture the essence of Valentine’s Day, while maintaining the darkness that defines her brand. What’s more, Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo, the celebrity stylists behind the SKIMS Valentine Shop, made sure to spotlight the most sought after parts of the collection: the satin and lace pieces. They are elegant and unique to what SKIMS’s usual catalog contains, while remaining perfectly on theme with Valentine’s Day.
Upon seeing the collection’s advertising campaign, however, I expected more. While the shoot’s set design and styling showcased pieces of the collection which were new and unique, it didn’t feature the collection in its entirety. The campaign hinted that SKIMS may branch out from its typical loungewear and lingerie to new styles, to something like white ruffle-y dresses, for instance. However, it didn’t deliver; much of the collection consisted of cotton loungewear pieces, in a typical SKIMS fashion. The collaboration with Lana Del Rey was an opportunity for SKIMS to branch out beyond selling basic loungewear and lingerie, but SKIMS’s Valentine’s Day collection only really included a few exciting new additions.
Style aside, SKIMS has received backlash in relation to many aspects of its brand. Indeed, social media users and environmental organizations alike have criticized the company’s policies and practices. Good On You, a website which rates brands based on different factors pertaining to sustainability, reported in 2021 that SKIMS has repeatedly shown a lack of transparency with respect to their policies and practices.
Issues concerning environmental impacts and ethical sourcing of materials and labour should be of significant concern for the brand. Organizations such as Earthday.org pointed out that a high-profiting company like SKIMS is able to—and therefore should—invest in eco-friendly practices. Indeed, it is crucial that sustainability becomes one of SKIMS’s main focuses as its popularity grows and expands through marketing collaborations like this one.
Is the Valentine’s Shop on theme for the holiday? Sure. But is it worth buying from? I wouldn’t argue so. While thoughtfully marketed, the collection is neither unique, nor ethical. If you’re interested in finding ethically produced loungewear, check out this Vogue article for some ideas.
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