The Kim Kardashian Cover Story

When Kim Kardashian appeared on her first magazine cover in 2007, the coverline asked: “Who Is Kim Kardashian?”

She was described as Paris Hilton’s BFF and the cover story, titled “Almost Famous,” depicted a 26-year-old woman who moved in celebrity circles, but was not yet one—this was before Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered, becoming a reality show juggernaut that ran for 20 seasons, and Kim, along with her family, became the target of ire, adoration, and intense study. Back then, she kept herself busy organizing closets for her famous friends like Brandy and Nicole Richie, and running Dash, a trendy fashion boutique in Calabasas, California, with her mom Kris, and sisters Kourtney and Khloé.

She landed another Complex cover two years later in 2009 (Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, her ex-husband, appeared on the opposite side of the issue). And she was legit famous now, with a popular reality TV show and some brand partnerships under belt (Skechers and Bebe, for example). But the why remained an open question. “She’s famous for no reason—scratch that, she’s famous for her body,” Complex’s Peter Rubin wrote in the story.

But has it ever just been about her body? Many sexy women come and go, but Kim Kardashian remains at the center of the cultural zeitgeist, unabashedly. She’s captured our attention across multiple mediums and adapted to each one as society’s tastes and interests evolve. She’s moved from Kimojis to Fortnite skins and emotes, from network television to streaming, from attending a few White House Correspondents’ Dinners to investing her energy and resources into criminal advocacy. Her ability to shape shift and garner attention is why Ryan Murphy made the ballsy (and meta) decision to cast her on his recent Netflix legal drama All’s Fair as lawyer Allura Grant, a leading role alongside seasoned actors like Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, and the recent Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor.

Why is Nike betting on Kim? One of the largest, most storied blue-chip brands in the world is experiencing declining sales, and are now getting into the Kardashian business, despite the fact that she is not an athlete. (Her ex-husband waged a very public battle with the brand almost 15 years ago because he wasn’t an athlete, and therefore, Nike didn’t offer him royalties on his sneakers or true partnership—instead treating him like a for-hire collaborator.) But with Kim, this arrangement is much more than a collaboration—it’s a joint partnership and standalone brand (NikeSKIMS), the second of its kind since Michael Jordan’s Jordan brand, which spun off from Nike in 1997.

Over the years, Nike has struggled to connect with women and lost market share to the likes of Lululemon, Athleta, and Alo. Jessica Ramirez, co‑founder and managing director at The Consumer Collective, a consumer-focused advisory firm, attributes some of Nike’s challenges with women to macro trends like a lack of investment in women’s sports. But she believes Nike’s women’s offerings and marketing have focused too much on performance and function, and not enough on lifestyle, a segment that produces the lion’s share of sales in women’s activewear.

“NikeSKIMS is an answer to what’s going on in the market,” says Ramirez. “And I do think that Kim has a very interesting pull on women.”

Kim’s audience isn’t composed of sneakerheads and Nike isn’t looking to her for cultural credibility as they would with someone like Travis Scott. Nike has tapped her for mainstream awareness amongst higher-income Millennial women. According to Lefty, which tracks influencers’ followers and overall sentiment online, 64 percent of her audience are Millennials, 27 percent are Gen Z, and 78 percent of her overall audience is made up of women. And her fans (or foes) are engaged. She has 354 million followers on Instagram and 2.54 percent of them interact with her content (the industry average is typically between 0.5 and 1.22 percent).

Kim’s ability to turn her pull with Millennial women into commerce dollars is exemplified with SKIMS, the line Kim launched in 2021 focused on shapewear solutions. It quickly expanded to loungewear, apparel, innerwear (bras and underwear) and men’s. SKIMS is neutral, literally and figuratively, allowing everyone to have access to its core offerings with a wide range of sizes, well manufactured, and reasonably priced product that’s basic but fashion adjacent. She’s kept it cannily relevant by expanding the brand’s image beyond her likeness, working with the popping ambassadors like SZA, Cardi B, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX, and partnering with brands like The North Face and Fendi. The brand is also highly attuned to internet discourse and the pop-culture news cycle: Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò from The White Lotus popped up in a campaign, and actress Nia Long had her turn in the wake of her ex-fiancé’s cheating scandal.

She’s come a long way since organizing closets for people more famous than her and collaborating with Bebe and Skechers. Now she’s staging magazine shoots from her massive headquarters in Calabasas. To speak with Kim, I traveled to her temporary home, also in Calabasas (she’s getting her own, Axel Vervoordt-designed house, renovated) and it was eerily quiet; she got her four kids out of the house so she could focus. Wearing a tight monotone dark grey zip up long sleeve top, baggy pants, and heels, with a glass bottle of water and a canned beverage perfectly placed on coasters next to her SKIMS stationary, sits Kim. Behind her was a desk name plate with Allura Grant, her All’s Fair character (a gift from Glenn Close, she explained). She’s grown up, fully famous, and a boss. We spoke about the NikeSKIMS partnership, the current status of her relationship with Ye, her daughter North’s social media presence and production work, whether or not she will take the bar exam again, and much more.

First off, congrats on the Nike deal. That’s a huge deal. I remember one of my first assignments when I worked in fashion was to cover the Bebe fashion show with you and your sisters.
No way.

Yes. To see your growth from there to now is crazy.
You know what we should do? We should Google and see if any of the Bebe collection is on eBay. I’d love to wear it.

Tell me about the NikeSKIMS sneaker. Why that silhouette?
I love the Air Rift. I wear a Rift. When styling our collections, we always paired everything with a low-profile shoe: something tight to the foot that feels seamless and like a part of the outfit. We really simplified the Rift, narrowed it, and chose breathable materials, starting with the mesh. It’s as minimal as a shoe can get, which aligns perfectly with SKIMS, partnered with Nike’s technology. Simplicity is what I’m about. I wanted it to blend in, and I think it does that well. And then our satin ones, with that pink tone, are super cute. They look like a ballerina shoe. I love the intentional grip on the bottom with all the S’s for SKIMS. So, we took Nike’s technology and innovation and simplified it even further. I think it’s the perfect NikeSKIMS shoe.

Were there any other silhouettes you were considering?
Other options were presented, but they felt too bulky for our shoe. Nothing else fit quite like this. Redefining it and refining every detail, from the velcro to how it sits on the foot, was really important to me. I don’t think we would have had as much leverage with other, more structured shoes. The very elements I’d want to simplify are intrinsic to their design. I wear Rifts all the time, and other low-profile shoes like that. So I was really happy with how it turned out.

It’s a big deal to create a new silhouette and not just have a colorway change. Was that something that was important to you?
I love how people play with colorways, like Travis [Scott] flipping logos and changing colors. It makes so much sense for him. I felt like simply making a shoe in skin-tone nudes wouldn’t be as interesting. It needed to feel like a second skin, an extension of the body and the outfit—like a shoe liquefied onto you. I can’t really explain the feeling or what I wanted, but we achieved it, and I’m proud. I know a Rift feels like a cycling [shoe], and it isn’t a typical sneaker, but that’s what I love about it.

I was at the dinner for the launch of the NikeSKIMS. Your business partner, Jens Grede, gave this beautiful congratulatory speech and called you the Michael Jordan of influencing. How do you feel about that comparison?
I’m humbled by the comparison. Nike hasn’t created a new business venture like our partnership since Jordan, essentially launching an entirely new company. It’s an honor, and I don’t take their choice to partner with me lightly. I hope we resonate with a broad female audience of Nike and SKIMS fans who appreciate this collaboration and understand its potential. I have a strong vision for it. With each collection, we’re exploring performance fabrications and innovations that Nike offers. Their distribution is extensive, and I’m proud of our wide reach. I want people to know that I’ve always designed for women’s bodies, and I hope they will continue to feel that in NikeSKIMS.

Speaking of distribution, I went to your Fifth Avenue SKIMS flagship and noticed the NikeSKIMS collection there. I know with some of your SKIMS collabs, it’s drops that sell out. The NikeSKIMS collection seems to have a different strategy. Is the goal for as many customers to access it as possible?
We definitely want core pieces and we’re categorizing by materials so that with each drop, customers become familiar with our different fabric franchises. They’ll recognize our stretch shine or a vintage woven piece, and we’ll continue releasing different styles in those material categories. We plan to keep our core styles and core colors in rotation. But if something is seasonal, such as the two-tone materials in our second drop, we may not bring them back. So it’ll be a combination of core with exclusives for each new season.

You’ve had the benefit of creating such a strong design language with SKIMS that you could then partner with Nike, but there have been other celebrities who have had athletic brand partnerships, and a lot of them have not been able to sustain. And you seem like you’re very observant and studious, so when you were looking at that, did it inform how you wanted to approach the collection?
Having a company like Nike believe in you and your company enough to start a joint venture and form a whole other business together means the goal is forever. We both feel that and have mutually wanted that from the start. I don’t know why it hasn’t been sustainable for others, but we’re in it for the long haul. If a material isn’t working, we won’t use it again. We’ll keep working until we get it right and make it perfect. I’m so in tune with what’s going on that I hope it’s a fully functioning, sustaining partnership and business for 10, 20 years, forever down the line.

I got a sneak peek of the next NikeSKIMS campaign with Lisa from BLACKPINK. I know you’re such a big part of the marketing, and obviously Nike is a marketing behemoth. It was very different from the initial campaign with the athletes, so what made you want to go in that direction and work with Lisa?
I’m so proud of our first campaign. I loved working with all those incredible women; they were so powerful and really embodied the NikeSKIMS brand and it was the perfect first statement we wanted to make. 

For our Spring 2026 collection, we designed a ballet-core inspired collection, featuring pieces that really move with you. When thinking about our casting with the team, we always knew we wanted classically trained dancers and knew Lisa, who is also part of the Nike family, was an incredible one. The collection also comes in black and pink, so it only made sense. We were so excited when she said yes and quickly shot the campaign in Paris immediately the next week. It truly feels modern, fresh, romantic, and fun. I’ve watched it so many times and I get chills every time.

Was it always going to be Nike, or were you thinking about any other athletic brands to partner with?
It was Nike. We wanted the best, aimed for the top, and never looked back. I think I said in one of our first meetings, “Nike is the best of the best.” We shot for the moon and landed there.

Do you consider SKIMS a streetwear brand? Are you inspired by the streetwear drop model?
I consider it all of the above, though it didn’t start that way. I wanted SKIMS to be known for our shapewear because we offered products that did not exist in the market at the time. The category was incredibly outdated. But I knew if people didn’t want shapewear, we could also offer them the best underwear. I just knew if we had a really good product, people would come back over and over again. I also felt like I had these ugly pajamas in my closet that I loved for comfort but weren’t visually pleasing, so I wanted to design sleepwear that was both. When we went into loungewear, COVID had just hit, and since people weren’t wearing shapewear, our pajamas and loungewear became huge successes. My love of loungewear then led us to expand and allowed us to do fun things like the Cactus Plant Flea Market collab. On my last few trips, like when I went to New York, I wore all SKIMS. I wore a North Face jumpsuit with a SKIMS faux fur hoodie and jacket. It’s crazy to me that I love our products so much that I’m replacing everything I used to love with my own versions that, in my eyes, trump them. It’s such a proud feeling that everything in my closet is SKIMS—and that makes me happy.

Another thing that’s been great about SKIMS are the celebrity endorsements, or the celebrity campaigns rather, and they just feel so timely and super relevant. And I heard Jens say that it’s like the new version of a magazine cover. What draws you to somebody to be a part of the SKIMS campaign? Everyone was so excited with Nia Long, and I thought that was also perfect timing. What’s your thinking?
Everyone is different, and preferences are personal. I love iconic women such as Brooke Shields, Kate Moss, Kim Cattrall, Nia Long as well as the new generation of stars such as SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Cardi B and Charli XCX. Lana Del Rey and her music; her romantic, fantastical persona and voice were perfect for a Valentine’s Day campaign. Having Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of our first male campaigns was amazing because I love his style. I think he’s a great person and one of the best-dressed NBA players. It was also cool that Patrick Mahomes and his family were in our holiday campaigns, and Nick Bosa months earlier. Then they played each other in the Super Bowl right after. Usher happened to also be the halftime show performer and he had a SKIMS campaign in that same exact moment. Even if unplanned, the stars somehow align. I’m proud of our campaigns and our team. Our White Lotus campaign launched in the perfect moment. Our ability to move quickly on an idea allows us to release things when the timing is right.

My inspiration comes from everywhere: what everyone is watching, what’s happening in the world, what I’m into, and what my kids and their friends are into. For the Cactus Plant campaign, North’s love for Ken Carson was a fun influence.

I love when you partner up with Nadia Lee Cohen.
Nadia Lee Cohen is my favorite photographer. I always joke, she’s the only person who can get me to do certain things. She’ll say, “I want you to shave your head for a shoot,” and I’m like, “Okay, let’s do it.” For our SKIMS Dolce & Gabbana campaign, I loved having Kourtney in it after our big Dolce fight, but of course she was like “This hair?” I said, “Just trust it. It’s Nadia.” Nadia’s so involved with every detail, and it really shows off the clothes so well, so I trust her implicitly. Whatever she says goes.

I feel like you’re very tapped into creatives and the cool photographers and stylists. Is that something that you try to stay on top of?
Because I do a lot of shoots myself, I’m familiar with the photography world. We have regular photography meetings where we review everyone’s work and discuss the many different photographers out there.

In all areas, the SKIMS team helps me stay current. When it comes to music, my kids keep me up-to-date and introduce me to new artists. It’s wild to think that carpool is now the place to learn about trends.

Let’s talk a little bit about fashion. Obviously, you had a bit of a pivot at a certain point in your career where you were more focused on fashion. Were you ever fearful that you would be less relatable if you became a fashion girl?
I never thought about that, but no. Even though I might wear something that might seem inaccessible, I think it can be relatable and obtainable through my choice of simple colors and silhouettes. I’ve always incorporated simple things that can be easily replicated. In those moments when I do wear the more over-the-top red carpet looks I always love to share the secrets I’m learning through that process of getting dressed that might be a helpful trick for the everyday women. 

No, that makes a lot of sense. I love this era that you’re in with Soki Mak. I think it’s hyperfeminine with amazing vintage pieces. Talk to me about that and working with her, and obviously you all work together on All’s Fair. What era are you in now?
It’s funny because Soki actually tries to push me beyond vintage, having me work with a lot of new, up-and-coming designers, which is so fun. But she’s like, “I know your comfort zone, and we have to build trust.” When we were doing the press tour for All’s Fair, I was like, “Wait, I don’t want to look like Allura Grant.” So we thought, “Ooh, should we collaborate?” We both wanted to try something different. She mixed in some Connor Ives dresses to modernize it, as well as Dilara Findikoglu, who she introduced me to. For our London press tour, we decided to wear all Dilara looks since she’s a new London designer, but her style still feels fun, and some pieces even have a vintage vibe. It was a good mix. Now I have a new daily stylist. I went to Aspen recently, and he styled all those looks.

Was that the stylist we used for the Complex cover shoot?
Yeah, David Friend.

I love the Aspen looks.
It’s a great balance. I work with a few different stylists. I still collaborate with Dani [Levi] sometimes, and we create looks for different projects. I’m realizing the benefit of having a team, as I can’t spread everyone too thin with the TV show and all these looks. I love working with them all. Soki and I had such a great time on that press tour.

Even glam, like the hair, the updos, was just so good.
We were very intentional with that. Soki brought all those ideas and suggested, “You should wear your hair like this and do it like that.” It’s been fun experimenting, trying new things, and seeing what works.

Going back to Aspen, you were wearing a Yeezy heel, and that kind of blew up. And I know this is a sensitive topic, but how are you good with Kanye? It seems like, in the news, they say you guys spent Christmas together. How are things going?
We’ll always be family. We both know that. We will be okay, and there’s so much love for our family. We want what’s best for our kids. I couldn’t deny the Yeezy heel, so I had to shout it out.

And then obviously you have a relationship with Demna Gvasalia, the former creative director at Balenciaga, who’s now at Gucci. You were a face at Balenciaga. Are you thinking about being a face for another fashion brand, or are you less focused on that right now?
I’m a little less focused on it right now with all the upcoming fashion shows. I’m filming my movie, The Fifth Wheel, and then we go into All’s Fair production. Even last fall, I wanted to go to the shows, but I didn’t have time because I was in production on All’s Fair, so it’s not my priority. I’m so excited to see what Demna does. He’s definitely going to kill it, and I’ve seen previews of some amazing stuff. But yeah, I’m less focused on it because I’m already planning out all of our SKIMS and NikeSKIMS campaigns, and we have a beauty launch coming up.

You’re bringing it under SKIMS beauty, right?
With beauty and fragrance, everything will be SKIMS. Having everything in one place was always my dream. I think our customer will really resonate with it, and I’m excited to have a signature fragrance.

You’ve accomplished so much in the fashion space. I think your ultimate goal was probably getting on the cover of Vogue. Do you have any other goals within fashion?
I love showing different sides of myself through various looks. When shoots come up, I get to explore different facets of my personality. I still have some magazine goals, but my main focus is on maintaining SKIMS’ amazing quality that everyone loves. Launching my beauty line is my next priority.

I see you hired Diarrha N’Diaye from Ami Cole to be the EVP of beauty and fragrance at SKIMS. That must be exciting to have some new energy and someone who’s entrepreneurial like you.
Meeting her face to face, I was immediately drawn to her passion and talent. Her intense focus created a palpable energy. She has that innate entrepreneurial drive, that refusal to stop until we achieve our goals. I felt it right away. I knew she was the right partner to bring my vision to life and build a successful beauty business.

I’m a millennial, and I work with Gen Z, too. And obviously, as a manager, you try to be empathetic to their working style. And in some ways, I’m like, well, maybe they deserve to have a little bit of an easier path than I did when I was starting out in publishing. But my question for you is, do you have to work nonstop to be super successful, or do you think we could get better at work-life balance?
It’s more of a passion than just putting in the hours. Of course, you have to put in the hours, but it’s an unexplainable passion that you either have or you don’t. I hope everyone finds their passion. I also think you have to enjoy life and set boundaries for your mental health. But if you want results, you have to put in the effort, no matter what it is. Even then, you might not get the result you want. I’ve experienced that myself, so keep chipping away until you do. If there’s a new work style that requires less, God bless those who have it figured out. I’m not judging. I just know what is required of me.

It feels like now everyone’s an influencer, and it used to be this thing where you were always faced with the question, “Well, what is she famous for?” Now, there are so many people who have huge followings, and they aren’t your traditional actress, singer, or model. What do you think about the state of influencing now, where a lot of people are following the blueprint you helped set? What do you think about it?
Good for everyone who makes a living doing what they love. It’s not easy. The misconception is, “Oh, they just stream or post TikToks.” It’s so time-consuming and really a full-time job. So if people have figured out ways to earn a living doing what makes them happy and utilizing their talents; good for them.

You collect a lot. I heard in an interview you were like, “I have all my outfits from All’s Fair.” Why is that important to you?
I collect everything—they’re memories. Maybe I’m a memory hoarder. I think I have every costume from all of Kanye’s tours saved for our kids. From Glow in the Dark to Watch the Throne, including all the Margiela looks from his Yeezus tour, and the Givenchy looks from Watch the Throne. I have the Yeezus mountain and the Lamborghini when they performed at the 2012 BET Awards. But I keep everything carefully stored like a museum. During the Donda tour, immediately after each show, I’d say, “Take that whole red look off and put it in the car.” I have things from my parents and grandparents, my parents, my sisters and friends and I take good care of everything and keep it very organized. It’s fun knowing I have it all safe so that one day, if my daughters want to go to prom in one of my Met looks, I can say, “Go for it, babe.” Or if my sons want to wear one of those Yeezus masks, their dad’s Coachella Celine shirt, the purple suit he wore to the VMAs with the gloves, or the original “Stronger” glasses—I got it all, babe. They’ll be all set. I hoard memories and get emotional about them.

I remember when North wore the Pastelle jacket. That ties to my next question. North now has her own Instagram account. What made you feel like you were ready for her to take that step?
She loves producing music and wanted to share it with the world and isn’t afraid if people will like it. She’s like her dad in that if she likes it, that’s enough for her, and she doesn’t really care about outside opinions. I’m proud of her for that, for releasing music, having fun with it, and doing it her own way.

I now have to call her dad and be like, “How much should we charge for beats?” because everyone’s calling and asking. [Laughs.]

It’s exciting to see her create and make things. And I see she did a song with Lil Wayne and Nivea’s son, Lil Novi. How did that come about?
Her friend was friends with Lil Novi, who lives right down the street, so you can see their house from our backyard. They connected organically on their own, and it was amazing because it was done without their dads. It was just two creative kids wanting to collaborate and express themselves and have fun. I support North 100 percent. I’ve gotten criticism for that, but I think people are starting to understand that she is her own person. She’s such a good girl, and her creativity is such a joy to watch. So if she puts little fake piercing stickers on her face because that’s what she wants to do, fine. I would go to a Prince concert when I was her age, put purple rhinestones all over my eyebrows, and fake tattoos of the Prince symbol on my cheek. So I look back, and I’m like, it’s no different.

Let’s talk a little bit about All’s Fair. You and Ryan Murphy have a great relationship, and I’m sure he pushed you to do this. Why is acting something that’s important to you right now?
If you have the opportunity to do something new and you’re passionate about it, why not do it? I’m always looking to learn and grow and challenge myself, so I was happy to take advantage of the opportunity. We had so much fun and I can’t wait to start season two.

Yeah, you can sense that. So the bar—sorry about not passing. I watched that episode of The Kardashians when you found out, and it was so cute how Saint was nurturing you after you found out you didn’t pass.
He’s a mama’s boy.

Are you going to try again? I know you are.
Interestingly, I said going into it that I would never try again. I called it a “one and done” because of time and energy constraints. But the day after, I started studying again and haven’t stopped. One day, I’ll retake it. I don’t know when; I have to find the time. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I don’t try again. I can’t pass up the opportunity. I didn’t come this far just to give up.

I’ve never taken the bar. It feels like a very intense experience, and it feels like the essays are what you feel like you’ve struggled with. Is that correct?
Honestly, what was exciting, but also daunting, is that I came really close. I just have to do better. I’m not one to make excuses. I could say I threw my back out that week, which I did, but it is what it is. I just didn’t perform well enough. I think I’m going to keep my head down a bit more next time, and maybe not broadcast it to the world. Although, I didn’t really have a choice, since they post the results live online, which is crazy to me.

That pressure is insane, so I figured I should just post that I didn’t pass myself, since people would find out anyway. Afterwards, so many people told me about others who hadn’t passed, and offered encouragement. Even at a charity dinner, Obama told me Michelle didn’t pass on her first try. So many amazing attorneys and people I respect reached out, saying Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris also didn’t pass the first time. So it’s not the end of the world, but no excuses—you just do better.

You talk about pressure. Do you feel pressure to keep up, be everywhere, be omnipresent, continue to be a face on the algorithm? Where are you with that in 2026?
I probably felt that pressure 10 years ago. I don’t now, and I’m fine with that. If I’m involved in a project, I give it 150%. If I’m doing Fortnite, I want to know the numbers and ensure people love the skins and emotes. I’m very into it and the details when I’m involved. So for the All’s Fair press tour, I’m thinking, “Let’s go to every country. Let’s go all in.” That happens to keep me everywhere at the time, but it’s not forced anymore. I just don’t care as much as I used to.

CONTRIBUTORS

STYLIST
DAVID FRIEND

STYLING ASSISTANT
ALYSSA ZARAGOZA

HAIR STYLIST
IGOR ROSALES

HAIR ASSISTANT
KENNEDY MEYERS

MAKEUP
ROKAEL LIZAMA

NAILS
DIEM TRUONG, QUEENIE DOAN

PRODUCTION DESIGN
HENSEL MARTINEZ

PRODUCTION
NORTH OF NOW