Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand sets its sights on your face
Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and underwear brand Skims has moved from muffin tops and bulging bellies to above the neckline, crossing the final frontier with a sculpting fabric face mask targeting the jawline.
Released on Tuesday, the $88 mask has already sold out and has a waiting list on the Skims website.
The cost of aiming for firmer features is greater than money. The in-demand product, with velcro straps at the top of the head and nape, resembles a post-surgery mask, and has earned comparisons with Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs on social media.
The latest product from Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims targets the jawline.
“We’ve been doing shapewear for a really long time, and now we’re going to offer amazing face shapewear, which is just such a necessity,” Kardashian said in an Instagram video. “You can see that it just snatches your chinny chin chin with the jaw, and it’s super comfortable to wear at night or just around the house.”
The item is marketed on the company’s social media as “infused with collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support” and “a must-have addition to your nightly routine”. However, Sydney-based plastic surgeon Dr Mark Kohout suggests customers manage any expectations of waking up contoured and camera ready.
“The facial shapewear is analogous to elastic waist trainers,” Kohout says. “The idea is that the elastic fabric supports your tissues and makes them less susceptible to sagging from the effects of gravity. The downside is that to have any appreciable effect, you would have to wear them around the clock for months or years.”
“The garment does not change the structure of the skin, nor does it tighten the collagen or elastin fibres in your skin. This may make it of limited practicality and effectiveness.”
For more lasting results, Kohout suggests researching radiofrequency, energy-based treatments.
Skims, co-founded by Kardashian with entrepreneurs Emma and Jens Grede and available in Australia through David Jones, has been valued at $US4 billion ($6.2 billion). Collaborations with brands such as Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana have contributed to its success, but the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap product signals a shift into wellness and skincare.
In March, Skims acquired full control of Kardashian’s skincare brand SKNN by Kim, buying beauty giant Coty’s 20 per cent shareholding. Having invested $200 million in the beauty startup in 2021, Coty reportedly lost $71.1million from divesting its stake in the company to Skims. Kardashian then transferred her 80 per cent shareholding to Skims.
Despite its strange appearance, Skims’ fabric face mask taps into a growing market. Neck straps and face and neck firming masks are increasing in popularity, with versions available from Big W and Dick Smith.
Linda Evangelista in “Makeover Madness”, photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, July 2005.
Consider it beauty’s answer to fashion’s obsession with the noughties. Surgery style first emerged in 2005, when supermodel Linda Evangelista appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue covered in bandages in the photo shoot “Makeover Madness”. Skims is just the first upmarket brand to make money from the madness.
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