First Look: Skims opens in Austin; three more locations planned for 2024
Skims, the shapewear and apparel brand founded by reality TV superstar and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, has landed in the Lone Star State.
The company has opened its third physical store, at the upscale Domain Northside shopping center in Austin. The 3,382-sq.-ft. outpost joins Skims locations in Miami and Washington D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood. (With the opening of the new permanent store, the Skims temporary "workshop" store that was previously open at the center will close this week.)
“Skims has been the most disruptive global tenant that we’ve seen in the last 15 years, reaching a wide age and income demographic,” said Ward Kampf, president of Northwood Retail, the operator of the Austin mall. “Domain Northside is home to nearly 90 first-to-market tenants overall, and adding global phenomenon Skims to our lineup solidifies our position in Austin and at Domain Northside as a go-to stop for innovative brands to open their doors.”
Skims’ expansion plans were made public earlier this summer following the opening of the first store in Washington D.C. The brand confirmed to Chain Store Age in a statement that it plans to open three more stores before 2025, including mall locations in Houston and Atlanta, and a flagship store in New York City.
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(Image courtesy of Domain Northside) -
(Image courtesy of Domain Northside) -
(Image courtesy of Domain Northside)
“Skims helps underscore that Austin is joining the ranks of places like SoHo, the westside of L.A., Dallas and Miami for new store locations,” added Kampf.
Launched in 2019 by Kardashian and business partner Jens Grede who serves as CEO, Skims raised $270 million (for a total of $670 million across all its funding rounds) in a Series C funding round in July 2023 that valued it at $4 billion. The brand sells directly through its website as well as through select partnerships with retailers including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, SSENSE, Net-a-Porter, Lane Crawford, KaDeWe, Holt Renfrew and David Jones.
