NikeSKIMS: The Partnership Jeopardizing Nike's Market Share

Nike is elevating their women's activewear by partnering with Kim Kardashian's, SKIMS. Their shared brand, NikeSKIMS, will debut a new revolution for women's fitness and sports, offering clothing, footwear, and accessories that meet the needs of female athletes around the world.

However, this heavily contrasts with current sportswear trends, spurring the question on the partnership's trajectory and timeline. How will NikeSKIMS compete with other campaigns being ran by competitors like Adidas and On, and how does this corporate move fragment Nike's messaging?

This article breaks down why NikeSKIMS jeopardizes both the brand's market share in 2025 and their understanding and relations with their global audience.

Why This Partnership Works

For every successful partnership, both parties need to benefit. For Nike, partnering with Kim Kardashian not only gets them closer to their female audience, which they have been trying to do for years, but also opens up an entirely new audience base of more than 300 million followers. Kardashian has the seventh-highest following on Instagram, higher than Nike, which benefits the sportswear brand to infiltrate new and existing audience in a way that has never been possible.

For Kim Kardashian and SKIMS, this partnership continues their exposure into men's sportswear, an audience they have been pursuing since their inception. Partnering with the NBA in 2023 was a great first step for SKIMS, and coupling this with Nike, and SKIMS has solidified themselves in both male and female audiences for the near and foreseeable future.

Note: With Nike being the official uniform outfitter of the NBA, NFL, and MLB, it's likely for their new NikeSKIMS to slowly integrate into uniforms within the next five to 10 years (but of course, this is hypothetical...for now)

Nike and SKIMS share a deep commitment to innovation, inclusivity and pushing boundaries, driven by an unwavering belief in the power of women. This partnership is the culmination of that shared vision, delivering product that is meticulously designed to sculpt and perform for every body. - Kim Kardashian, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, SKIMS

Why NikeSKIMS Jeopardizes Nike's Market Share

Despite Nike's strong optimism towards their new partnership, others are not convinced around the messaging, motive, and promises. Here is why NikeSKIMS jeopardizes their market share upon their release in 2026:

Avoiding the Corporate Check-Mate

NikeSKIMS solidifies Nike's messaging around striving for excellence, victory, and being the best you can possibly be. Since the word 'Nike' is greek for 'triumph' or 'victory,' this makes sense. As Heidi O'Neil, Nike's President of Consumer, Product and Brand, explained in Nike's press release:

“This partnership brings together the best of both brands and unlocks an incredible opportunity to disrupt the industry with our shared passion and commitment to innovation. We will invite even more athletes into sport and movement with product that makes them feel strong and sexy.” - Heidi O'Neil

However, this strongly clashes with the current trends in sports marketing, with brands like Adidas and On opting for more inclusive messaging around their slogans and campaigns. For example, Adidas recently changed its "impossible is nothing" slogan to "you got this" promoting a more inclusive approach that nearly every audience can resonate with. On followed suit by debuting their new SOFT WINS campaign, encouraging runners to not be so hard on themselves, and instead to appreciate the small wins with others.

Nike's partnership with SKIMS will unequivocally sell-out upon their initial release. But this contrast in direction may corner Nike into a corporate check-mate if Adidas and On continue to grab more of Nike's market share. NikeSKIMS is directed towards clothing, whereas Adidas and On are addressing the sneaker market; regardless, customers who buy one often buy the other - so 2025 will be a critical year for the sportswear world as brands go all in on the future.

Mismatched Messaging

Nike's press release sprinkles inclusivity from start to finish, yet is that what SKIMS is known for?

SKIMS is widely known as Kardashian's brand, who is famous for having an unattainable physique that some women find unfair or unrealistic. Whether women like Kardashian or not, she has been on women's social media since 2014, and has made a living off her physical appearance.

This indirect marketing strategy has helped Kardashian in the past, but it may become turbulent with her partnership with Nike. Her unattainable image may steer a considerable portion of Nike's audience away towards other brands, jeopardizing the validity of Nike's messaging and results of their shared partnership.

Unknown Innovation

Nike's ability to innovate new products and develop new technology has been their heaviest weight when trying to jump to new opportunities. It not only contributed to Nike hiring Elliott Hill as their new President and CEO, but also to their plummeting stock prices within the past 24 months.

While NikeSKIMS hasn't released their initial product collection (at the time of this writing), it's unknown whether the level of innovation is going to exceed expectations or fall short. Nike mentioned 'innovation' more than a dozen times in their press release, so it's fair to say that the bar is set high for their new, groundbreaking partnership.

"With NikeSKIMS, we’re deepening that support, listening to the voices of our athletes and women around the world and meeting their needs with a unique and disruptive point of view rooted in strength and style — and fueled by two powerhouse brands known for innovation and cultural disruption." - Amy Montagne, VP/GM, Nike Women's

Conclusion

Nike's new NikeSKIMS is extending the brand's mission to reach their female audience by offering a new meaning to women's activewear. Their shared product collection is set to debut globally in 2026, but the ripple effect of this monumental partnership has already begun. Is this the start of the corporate superteams? Will Nike solidify itself as the sportswear brand and regain its lost market share from competitors like Adidas, On, and Hoka? Will their marketing extend to Kim Kardashian's audiences and truly reach their desired target market once and for all?

Only time will tell.

About the Author

Nick Jelderks is the Founder & Digital Marketing Director of Triple JJJ, a media company documenting the marketing of sports and culture. With 30+ marketing case studies generating 185,000 impressions within the past year, Jelderks has emerged as a thought-leader, continually disrupting the marketing and media space with industry-leading deliverables.

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