SKIMS is entering India through a strategic partnership with Reliance Retail, marking another major international step for the shapewear and lifestyle brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede.
The initial rollout will be led by Reliance Brands, beginning with physical stores in Delhi and Mumbai before expanding into additional cities and sales channels.
For SKIMS, India represents access to one of the world’s largest and fastest-developing consumer markets.
For Reliance, the partnership adds another high-profile international brand to a portfolio that has become one of the principal gateways for premium and luxury brands entering India.
The arrangement is also an important example of how globally recognised consumer brands increasingly approach complex international markets: not necessarily by building everything independently, but by aligning with a local partner that already possesses the retail infrastructure, market knowledge and execution capability required to scale.
SKIMS Has Moved Well Beyond Its Digital Origins
When SKIMS launched in 2019, the business was primarily associated with shapewear.
That description is increasingly inadequate.
The company has expanded into:
- underwear
- loungewear
- swimwear
- men’s products
- everyday essentials
- physical retail
- international markets
What began as a digitally led celebrity-backed brand has developed into a much broader consumer platform.
Its growth demonstrates how quickly a modern direct-to-consumer brand can move from online awareness to substantial international retail ambitions when brand demand, product relevance and capital align.
India now becomes another important test of that strategy.
Why India Matters to SKIMS
India offers SKIMS access to a consumer market undergoing significant change.
Premium international brands are benefiting from:
- rising disposable incomes
- increasing urbanisation
- a growing affluent consumer segment
- rapid development of premium shopping centres
- strong digital commerce adoption
- increasing exposure to international fashion and lifestyle trends
Delhi and Mumbai are the natural starting points.
Both cities have large populations of affluent and aspirational consumers and have become primary entry markets for global fashion, beauty and luxury brands.
Beginning there allows SKIMS to establish the brand in India’s most important premium retail environments before considering broader national expansion.
Reliance Brands Provides the Local Platform
The choice of Reliance Brands is central to the story.
International brands entering India face a market with significant opportunity but also considerable complexity.
Real estate, distribution, consumer behaviour, pricing, staffing, logistics and regulatory issues can differ substantially from Western markets.
A strong local partner can reduce many of those barriers.
Reliance Brands has built considerable experience introducing and operating international brands in India.
Its broader portfolio and retail infrastructure give SKIMS immediate access to capabilities that would take years to establish independently.
This is why the partnership should be viewed as more than a distribution arrangement.
It is a market-entry platform.
Delhi and Mumbai First, Broader Expansion Later
The decision to start in Delhi and Mumbai reflects a disciplined market-entry strategy.
Rather than attempting nationwide coverage immediately, the partners can establish physical stores in markets where:
- brand awareness is likely to be strongest
- premium retail infrastructure is already established
- customer purchasing power is higher
- international fashion adoption is more advanced
Once the concept has been tested and customer behaviour becomes clearer, expansion can move into additional cities.
Potential future markets could include India’s other major premium retail centres as the network develops.
The important point is that SKIMS is entering India with a structure capable of scaling beyond two flagship stores.
Physical Retail Is Becoming Increasingly Important to SKIMS
SKIMS was built largely through digital commerce, social media and celebrity-driven awareness.
But physical retail is becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s development.
Stores provide advantages that digital channels cannot fully replicate.
Customers can:
- experience fabrics directly
- understand sizing and fit
- discover additional categories
- interact with the complete brand environment
- develop stronger emotional engagement with the brand
For products such as shapewear, underwear and apparel, this physical interaction can be particularly valuable.
The move into India therefore reflects a broader evolution from a digital-first business towards a global omnichannel retail brand.
Celebrity Influence Opened the Door — Brand Execution Built the Business
Kim Kardashian’s global profile undoubtedly contributed to the initial awareness surrounding SKIMS.
But celebrity recognition alone does not explain the company’s development.
Many celebrity-backed businesses generate significant attention at launch but struggle to establish enduring commercial relevance.
SKIMS has instead focused on building:
- recognisable product categories
- consistent visual identity
- broad size ranges
- strategic collaborations
- international distribution
- physical retail infrastructure
That distinction matters.
Celebrity involvement can accelerate awareness.
Building a scalable international company requires considerably more.
A Significant Case Study in Celebrity Brand Licensing and Development
For investors studying celebrity-backed brands, SKIMS provides a useful case study.
The traditional celebrity business model frequently centred on endorsement.
A celebrity would promote a product owned and controlled by another company.
The newer model is fundamentally different.
Celebrities increasingly participate in businesses where their:
- identity
- audience
- cultural influence
- intellectual property
- commercial relationships
become components of a larger brand platform.
SKIMS demonstrates the potential value of moving from simple endorsement towards genuine brand ownership and long-term enterprise building.
That makes its international expansion relevant well beyond the fashion industry.
Reliance Is Becoming an Important Gateway for International Brands
The SKIMS partnership also reinforces Reliance Retail’s increasingly important role within international brand expansion.
India’s scale makes it attractive to global companies, but entering successfully often requires sophisticated local capability.
Groups such as Reliance can provide:
- market knowledge
- retail locations
- operating infrastructure
- local management
- distribution
- regulatory understanding
- relationships with developers and landlords
For international brands, this can provide a faster and more controlled route into the country than establishing an entirely independent organisation.
This model is already reshaping how many premium brands think about India.
The Strategic Partner Model Matters
One lesson from the SKIMS transaction is particularly relevant for international investors.
Not every global expansion opportunity takes the form of a conventional franchise.
Brands may enter markets through:
- franchises
- master franchise agreements
- licensing
- distribution
- joint ventures
- strategic retail partnerships
- wholly owned subsidiaries
The appropriate structure depends on the brand, market, capital requirements and level of control involved.
For SKIMS in India, the relationship with Reliance provides local operating capability while allowing the brand to pursue a structured and potentially scalable national rollout.
Understanding these distinctions is critical when evaluating international brand opportunities.
Why India Continues to Attract Major Global Brands
The SKIMS announcement forms part of a much larger pattern.
India is increasingly becoming a priority market for international retailers across:
- fashion
- beauty
- food and beverage
- sportswear
- luxury
- lifestyle
- consumer technology
The attraction is not simply population size.
The more important development is the expansion of consumers capable and willing to purchase international products.
Major cities are also gaining increasingly sophisticated shopping environments capable of supporting premium global retailers.
As these conditions continue improving, more brands that historically considered India a long-term opportunity are beginning to treat it as a current growth market.
What Investors and Operators Should Watch
The SKIMS rollout will be worth following for several reasons.
Store Performance
The initial Delhi and Mumbai locations will provide an early indication of physical demand for the brand.
Geographic Expansion
The speed at which SKIMS moves into additional Indian cities will reveal how ambitious the partners are about national scale.
Category Development
SKIMS now operates across a wider range of products than shapewear alone.
Understanding which categories resonate most strongly with Indian consumers could shape the future store format.
Pricing
Premium international brands must carefully balance global positioning with local purchasing power.
How SKIMS manages pricing in India will be commercially important.
Reliance’s International Brand Portfolio
The transaction further strengthens Reliance’s position as a preferred partner for international brands seeking Indian expansion.
That could have wider implications for future market-entry deals.
Strategic Assessment
SKIMS entering India is significant for three reasons.
First, it demonstrates the continuing internationalisation of a brand that was founded only in 2019.
Second, it reinforces India’s growing importance within global premium retail.
Third, it provides another example of the power of strategic local partnerships in international market entry.
SKIMS has the global brand recognition.
Reliance has the local infrastructure.
Combining those capabilities provides a potentially powerful platform for national expansion.
For investors and operators, this is precisely the type of structure worth studying.
The opportunity in international retail is not always found in buying a conventional franchise.
Increasingly, it lies in understanding which brands are expanding, which markets they are targeting, and what partnership structure they require to enter them successfully.
Where Star Brands Consulting Group Fits In
Star Brands Consulting Group advises investors, operators and brands seeking franchise, licensing, partnership and international market-entry opportunities.
Our work includes assessing:
- international brand expansion
- territory availability
- franchise and licensing structures
- strategic partnership models
- investor and operator readiness
- market-entry feasibility
- local partner requirements
- brand positioning and expansion strategy
For investors interested in premium global brands, Star Access™ provides a structured pathway for evaluating potential franchise, licensing and strategic brand-access opportunities.
Where a specific brand is not available through conventional franchising, the relevant question becomes whether another legitimate market-entry structure exists — or whether comparable opportunities provide a more realistic route.
The SKIMS-Reliance partnership is a useful reminder that some of the most important international retail relationships are built not around a single-store franchise application, but around market capability, strategic alignment and the ability to develop a brand at scale.
Conclusion
SKIMS’ entry into India represents another major step in the transformation of the business from a digitally native celebrity brand into an international retail company.
Launching through Reliance Brands in Delhi and Mumbai provides the company with an experienced local platform from which a much larger Indian business could develop.
The partnership also reflects a wider change taking place across global retail.
Strong brands increasingly want strong market partners.
And sophisticated local operators increasingly want access to globally relevant brands.
When those two interests align, substantial international expansion opportunities can emerge.
India is becoming one of the most important markets where that alignment is taking place.
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