Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand lands in London for first European pop-up

The brand has stated that it’s the most ‘conceptual’ pop-up experience to date and has been designed in partnership with long-time collaborator, Willo Perron of Perron-Roettinger.

Bringing that dose of LA glamour, the space has been transformed into a poolside oasis with diving boards and palm trees. If you’ve kept up with Kim on social media, you’ll be familiar with the custom Skims ice cream treats that were popular at the NYC store. These will also be offered to Londoners, but beware, some visitors queued for over two hours every day just to get into the store.

It sets in motion a renewed marketing strategy that Jens Grede, co-founder and chief executive at Skims, outlined to The Drum earlier this year. Skims built its four-year-old, $3.2bn brand through platforms including Instagram and TikTok, but as the business matures, it has been looking to move away from its reliance on paid social and invest more in brand-building activities.

Skims is now pulling back from traditional performance marketing, having found it is no longer a practical part of its media mix. OOH and experiential are now taking its place.

“I’m thrilled to open our first international pop-up experience at the iconic Selfridges Corner Shop. We expect demand and buzz to be high as this is the first time Skims Swim will be available in retail outside the US” said Grede. “The pop-up experience will set the tone for the future of Skims in London, as the cultural and fashion destination is a key market for our global expansion.”

By capitalizing on its pop-up experiences, e-commerce arm and multi-brand business in the UK and Europe, Skims plans to expand into free-standing stores across the UK and EU territories within the next three years.

Robert Norton, chief commercial officer at Skims, added: “As we look to establish Skims as a global brand, Selfridges London is the optimal starting point for the next phase of Skims’s journey with our existing customer base in the UK and unparalleled business at Selfridges to date.

“The pop-up experience and expansion of our permanent shop-in-shop space at Selfridges set the framework for our global retail strategy. We will continue to leverage multi-brand partnerships this year as we plan to open 35 shop-in-shops in the US and internationally.”