Kim is no stranger to a business venture, having previously ventured into the clothing industry, makeup industry, and even the money and banking industry!
I have rounded all of her business ventures up from her first ever venture back in 2006 to her most current one still present to this day because quite frankly, it's not bad for a girl with no talent.
Dash Boutique 2006
Kim and her sister's love for fashion started along the same time as their reality show 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians began. In fact, it was rumoured they only started their reality show to promote their new business venture- 'Dash Boutique'- so we have that to thank for their fame! The boutique itself was small and dark and sold lots of Kardashian-approved apparel, that they would wear themselves. It stocked a selection of high-end clothing and accessories and throughout its 12 years of operation, expanded into multiple locations including Miami and Manhattan. The boutique closed for good in 2018 after Kim released this statement online:
"We've loved running Dash, but in the last few years, we've all grown so much individually. We've been busy running our own brands, as well as being moms and balancing work with our families. We know in our hearts that it's time to move on."
Kardashian Kard 2009
Maybe one of the less known and looked up to business ventures of Kim's- The Kardashian Kard was a prepaid MasterCard, which launched in 2010. It had sky-high fees and a campaign that targeted young teenagers, which garnered fierce criticism, leading to the card promptly being taken off the market. After numerous news outlets and bloggers voiced their concerns about the high Kardashian Kard Prepaid Debit Card fees, the Kardashian sister’s realized that the card was unfair and they distanced themselves from the failed product.
Shoe Dazzle 2009
Back in 2009, Kim launched an online fashion subscription service with Brian Lee, Robert Shapiro, and M.J.Eng, that offered monthly subscriptions for shoes, bags, and jewellery. After 4 years, the brand had amassed 10 million subscribers and received millions of dollars of funding before being taken over by rival online fashion subscription service JustFab in 2013 for an undisclosed sum, making it one of Kim's first successful business ventures.
Kim Kardashian Eau De Parfum 2009
In 2009, Kim released her first perfume fragrance which took the world by storm. The fragrance was a sophisticated bouquet of jasmine, tuberose, and gardenia, with a dry-down of tonka bean, jacaranda wood, and sandalwood, which paved the way for Kim to develop her perfume authority. To this day, you can still purchase the original perfume from the likes of Amazon and eBay.
Belle Noel Jewellery 2011
When you think back to 2011 Kim and look back at photos of her in this era they all seem to have something in common- the huge hoop earrings she is always seen to be wearing. Kim must have picked up on this, and made it into a business venture which in hindsight was a very strategic move from her. The range was available exclusively at Bloomingdales, and Kim worked with designer Pascal Mouawad to create the range of costume jewellery. It provided fans with the opportunity to accessorize like the reality TV star at an affordable price. The brand never really ended up taking off, ended up disappearing and has never been spoken about by Kim ever since.
Kardashian Beauty 2012
Kim's first go at a beauty range was way back in 2012 when she originally released Khroma beauty- which had to be changed and renamed to Kardashian Beauty after a lawsuit regarding the name. The range included makeup which then ended up branching into hair care. Again, this venture did not really take off and ended up also disappearing into thin air with some of her other businesses. Many people say it was due to the complaints and backlash of the products being cheaply made and having no pigment payoff, which is why she decided to so quickly disassociate herself with the brand.
Kim Kardashian Hollywood! 2014
Kim Kardashian's iOS and Android game can be described as the Hollywood version of The Sims, where the aim is to become as famous as possible. Each player has the opportunity to book modelling jobs, make club appearances and go on dates, as well as spend K-Stars (the virtual currency that can be earned in-app or bought with real money) on the latest fashion looks. The game launched in June 2014, and by the end of the year, it had 23 million players and had made $43 million. The app is still on the app store to this day and is still used and played by many all over the world.
Selfish book 2015
Self-acclaimed selfie queen Kim released her very own book in 2015 named 'Selfie'. This book consists of, exactly what the title says, selfies of no other than Kim Kardashian herself. Lots of people invested in this book to keep as decor in their home, and to be honest- I would too I think this is such a power move from Kim, especially when these coffee table books have been becoming so popular over the past few years. The signed first editions sold out within one minute despite critics calling the project narcissistic and stupid.
Kimoji 2015
Everyone should remember this one, Kim released Kimoji also in 2015, after apple brought out their own range of new emojis and Kim thought she can do her own spin on these. The Kimoji app consisted of 250 emojis and GIFs, including Kim's legendary crying face and other memorable scenes from the reality show. At first, Kardashian fans loved this and the app ended up making $1 million every minute and boasting 9000 downloads every second. Soon after this, Kim branched into merch and made phone cases and T-shirts with her most popular being the iconic crying emoji. This app did end up fading out of popularity, with many critics not liking how the emojis were not being added to the apple keyboard therefore many said they were impractical. Nonetheless, I think this was a great move for Kim and she definitely made her money's worth from this venture.
KKW Beauty & SKKN 2017
Kim launched KKW Beauty in 2017 to instant success. The range included powerful pigments, high-performance formulas, and a range of trend-led products that impressed both Kim's fans and makeup industry insiders. Three years after its launch, cosmetics giant Coty bought 20% of the company for $200 million, valuing the company at $1 billion. Fans loved the packaging, design, and vibe of the brand as a whole as it was very on brand for Kim being nudes and very minimalistic. However, Kim decided to close her business in 2021 after putting a statement out on social media, this took the world by shock:
“On August 1st at midnight, we will be shutting down the KKWBeauty.com site so that we can come back to you under a completely new brand with new formulas that are more modern, innovative and packaged in an elevated and sustainable new look."
In June 2022, Kim announced a new skincare line, SKKN by Kim, described as “a visionary nine-product ritual” that delivers “nourishment, renewal, and an indulgent at-home experience”. The range is still on sale today.
KKW fragrance 2017
After Kim's previous perfume success, in 2017 Kim decided to bring out and release three new perfume scents- Crystal Gardenia, Crystal Gardenia Citrus and Crystal Gardenia Oud. Since, the brand has grown to offer a wide variety of perfumes, from floral to citrus, including the famous KKW Body, which comes in a bottle modelled after Kim's own body, and a number of collaborations with members of her family. This is actually a venture I was shocked Kim took on, as I have not heard of this on social media or anywhere online- it definitely does not get half as much social media attention as it deserves! I mean, just look at the bottle!
Skims 2019
Kim's most well-known and popular business venture is, of course, no other than her most recent one, launched in 2019- Skims. Skims is available across the world, and offers a vast range of smoothing and contouring underwear, as well as loungewear and pyjamas.
