‘We’re living through an era of casualisation’: Lockdown love of loungewear here to stay, says SKIMS co-founder

Britons might have spent the last 18 months swaddled in comfortable(and comforting) clothing, but as SKIMS co-founder Jens Grede tells Olivia Petter, loungewear is more than just a lockdown fashion trend

(SKIMS)

Wherever and however you spent lockdown, chances are you wore a variation on the same outfit throughout: comfortable trousers, a loose-fitting top, and soft, high-coverage underwear. It’s an aesthetic known as loungewear, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it has become increasingly popular in the past 18 months.

Throughout 2020, global fashion search platform Lyst identified numerous loungewear items in its quarterly “hottest items” indexes, which list the most popular fashion items across the web and social media. Among those included was a Calvin Klein sports bra, a Jacquemus knitted bralette, UGG boots, Birkenstock sandals, and Sleeper feather trimmed pyjamas.

All of these items had one thing in common: they prioritised comfort over style alone. It made sense given that Britons spent much of the last year at home due to the pandemic. But amid the lockdown loungewear hype, one brand continually stood out. Enter SKIMS, the shapewear label-turned-cult loungewear must-have founded by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede.

It’s no secret that the fashion industry has born the brunt of the pandemic, with many brands fading into obscurity, but SKIMS has only gone from strength to strength. It helps, of course, that the brand is fronted by one of the most recognisable people on the planet (to date, Kardashian has 239 million followers on Instagram) and her equally famous family (cue Kendall, Kylie, Kourtney and Khloe) who have also starred in SKIMS campaigns.

Alex Morgan, US soccer player, poses in the SKIMS x Olympics collection (SKIMS)

But don’t let family notoriety fool you into thinking SKIMS is just another hashtag brand. Demand surged in 2020 to the point that the company was valued at $1.6bn (£1.2m) in April and in June, SKIMS was revealed to be partnering with the US Olympics team, providing the official underwear, loungewear and pyjamas for the athletes. A corresponding collection was also released to the public; it sold out in 48 hours.

If that wasn’t enough, last month SKIMS also unveiled the latest face of its brand, and it was none other than Britain’s most iconic supermodel, the one and only Kate Moss. Even Kardashian couldn’t believe Moss had agreed to sign on, writing on her Instagram story alongside a video of the campaign: “Is this real life?”

As for the clothes themselves, SKIMS does not mess around where comfort and construction is concerned. Designed with the female body in mind, garments are created to enhance curves rather than mask them - a somewhat revolutionary tact in the shapewear industry - and are made from the brand’s signature “butter soft” fabric that feels both luxurious yet minimal at the same time.

To get to the bottom (quite literally) of what makes SKIMS so successful, we spoke to Grede about why the brand stands out in an increasingly crowded market – and why loungewear is here to stay beyond lockdown.

Why do you think loungewear surged during the pandemic?

We buy clothes for many reasons. Most are driven by occasion, a party, a new job, going back to school. But they are also emotional; they affect how we feel. As we found ourselves stuck at home and wearing the same things from day to night, we quickly realised that the Sunday afternoon attire of an old t-shirt and washed out sweatpants did not make us feel great about ourselves.

Being able to buy loungewear that was as comfy as your old Sunday T-shirt but was coordinated and looked as though you’d made an effort is why the category surged. We wanted to feel good about ourselves at the same time as we wanted comfort. Originally a category reserved for lazy weekends became everyday attire.

Personally I realised on day five of lockdown last March that my old Nike tracksuit bottoms and faded James Perse jumper was not going to cut it if I wanted to stay married…

When did shapewear become a standalone trend?

We have been living through an era of casualisation. The pandemic has further accelerated that. At the same time, though, our desire to look good and accentuate our silhouettes hasn’t gone away.

It’s pretty natural that we would find a way to dress up super casual styles by blending fabrics that enhance your shape.

How do you think the shapewear market is evolving?

One word: Comfort. We have revolutionised the category by developing a high performance, proprietary  fabric that smooths, shapes and contours your body that’s comfortable for all day, every day wear.

No longer is shapewear reserved for special occasions and one-off use, it’s becoming a foundational element to every wardrobe because it’s as easy and effortless as wearing underwear. It doesn’t need to be a struggle.

Do you think shapewear will continue to be popular as we emerge from lockdown?

Many of us have a new work/life balance. We will be spending more time at home than we did in the past, so I believe our wardrobe mix will change forever to reflect this new era of casualisation we’re living in.

What is it about SKIMS that customers love so much?

Customers realised that our product and brand was unique from the very beginning: representation, diversity and a solution-focused approach meant we stood out in a category that hadn’t seen real innovation in over a decade.

We spent three years developing our own fabrications before we launched the business. From our innovative Fits Everybody underwear that stretches up twice its size while never losing shape to the unique compression technology built into our shapewear that gives you both comfort and support, innovation is the foundation that we are building our company on.

Furthermore, by listening to what our customers want and fostering an ongoing feedback loop with them, they’re able to consistently feel heard and represented across our product and marketing efforts.

By how much did your sales increase as a result of the pandemic?

When Kim and I launched SKIMS in the autumn of 2019, we were taken back by the interest in what we were doing and quickly amassed several million people on collection waitlists before the pandemic hit.

We then spent the better part of 2020 just trying to keep up with that initial demand and are still working hard to make sure more people get the opportunity to try SKIMS for themselves.