Overkill? The Kardashians Don’t Know Her

In the last couple of weeks, Kim Kardashian has launched SKIMS’ Ultimate Nipple Bra, SKIMS’ menswear, and a SKIMS’ collection in collaboration with Swarovski. Meanwhile her sister, Kylie Jenner, has recently launched KHY, a 12 piece collection focused on faux leather. It made $1million within its first hour of sale. In less than a week, she’ll launch 002, this time focused on “puffer + utility”. 

This is A LOT of product. It’s deleterious to the environment, clearly, but also deleterious to every fashion brand who doesn’t have the Kardashians’ heft, and every small business competing for sales from customers whose budgets are already tight.

While it’s too extreme to blame Kim and Kylie for “ruining the planet”, as some have, the groundswell of negative comments on social media does beg the question of whether people feel Kar-done now. Overkill? The Kardashians don’t know her. But maybe they’re about to. Since they can’t compete, PRs of smaller brands can only ride it out.

The Gen Z-ers that I know are terminally disinterested in the Kardashians, while their homogenizing effect is, in a positive way, driving non-fans in the other direction, towards niche brands and products who feel like personal discoveries. Everything doesn’t have to start with a K.