From Dash to SKIMS, every single one of Kim Kardashian's businesses ranked
If there's one thing about Kim Kardashian that we can agree on, it's that she is serious about her business. Sure, you could argue over whether she's a feminist icon or the embodiment of unrealistic ideals until the cows come home, but one thing you cannot deny is her entrepreneurial spirit.
I'm biased – I love Kim with my whole soul – but even before she burst onto the reality television scene on E!'s Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she was busy running Dash, a clothing boutique she co-founded with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe in 2006, while also working as a personal stylist for the likes of Paris Hilton.
Since then, she's built a global empire that spans multiple industries, from gaming to beauty to publishing, amassing billions of dollars of revenue (Forbes declared her a billionaire in 2021) and over 700 international trademarks. Oh, and all the while, she was bringing up a family of four children. Surely, that's pretty impressive by anyone's terms, and especially a lot for one woman to achieve before her milestone 43rd birthday?
As Queen Kim herself would say: 'Not bad for a girl with no talent!'
However, that's not to say she hasn't done some dubious deals along the way, and there's no doubt that some of her business ventures have been better than others. Take the Kardashian Kard in partnership with MasterCard that Kim and her sisters launched in 2010 – a preloaded debit card that was swiftly taken off the market after criticism of sky-high fees. Then there was Kimono, the predecessor to Kim's shapewear brand SKIMS, which caused global outrage due to the appropriation of the Japanese word.
However, as any great entrepreneur would, Kim has proved herself adaptable, tenacious and resilient, learning from her failures and coming back stronger, with SKIMS reaching a whopping $ 4 billion valuation this year. Seriously impressive.
Lori Harvey launched her skin-care line, SKN by LH, in October 2021.
Furthermore, Kim gave private equity investing a go, joining forces with experienced private equity executive Jay Sammons to start Skky Partners, a new firm focussing on media and consumer investments in 2022. With her billion-dollar business acumen, it makes sense. So, without further ado, we've rounded all of her business ventures up and ranked them in order of greatness because, quite frankly, it's not bad for a girl “with no talent”.
13. Kardashian Kard
The Kardashian Kard takes last place on the list of Kim's business ventures, mainly because it was scrapped before it even took off. The prepaid MasterCard, which launched in 2010, 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.
Jamie McCarthy12. Kardashian Beauty
Originally launched as Khroma Beauty in 2012 before a lawsuit that saw the sisters rename it to Kardashian Beauty, the range, which included makeup and later haircare, was a bit of a disappointment. The pigment payoff was far from remarkable and the packaging looked a little cheap – not what you would expect from three beauty aficionados.
Dimitrios Kambouris11. Belle Noel Jewellery
Back in the 2010s, Kim was known for a hoop earring – a fact she capitalised on with the launch of her jewellery line Belle Noel in 2011. Available exclusively at Bloomingdales, Kim worked with designer Pascal Mouawad to create a range of costume jewellery. It provided fans with the opportunity to accessorise like the reality TV star at an affordable price, but sadly, the brand never took off and disappeared into the ether.
D Dipasupil10. Selfish
Alongside BFF Paris Hilton, Kim is often attributed with the rise of the selfie, being one of the first people to become known posting self-portrait style photos across her social media accounts. In 2015, Kim released a coffee table photobook titled Selfish, which was published by Rizzoli and contained a collection of previously unseen selfies. The signed first-editions sold out within one minute despite critics calling the project narcissistic and insipid.
Bloomberg9. Kim Kardashian Hollywood!
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 (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.
Alexander Tamargo8. ShoeDazzle
Way back in 2009, Kim launched an online fashion subscription service with Brian Lee, Robert Shapiro and M.J.Eng, that offered monthly curations of shoes, bags and jewellery. Within four years, the brand had amassed 10 million subscribers and received millions of dollars of funding before being acquired by rival online fashion subscription service JustFab in 2013 for an undisclosed sum, making it one of Kim's first success business ventures.
7. Kim's first perfume
After a monumental bust-up with her sisters that was documented on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim renamed her first perfume venture from Dashing (inspired by the sisters' boutique Dash) to Kim Kardashian Eau De Parfum. The fragrance was a sophisticated bouquet of jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, with a dry-down of tonka bean, jacaranda wood and sandalwood, which paved the way for Kim to develop her perfume authority.
Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images6. Skky Partners Private Equity
Last year, Kim gave private equity investing a go, joining forces with experienced private equity executive Jay Sammons to start Skky Partners, a new firm focussing on media and consumer investments. In a statement, Jay said that he and Kim have “a long history of investing capabilities and experience of working with high-growth brands that are disruptors" that will undoubtedly put them in good stead to make smart investment decisions.
A year on, it's still early days for the deal, but the venture seems promising based on Kim's billion-dollar business acumen and legal skills, not to mention her global influence. She recently told Fortune Magazine: "I wouldn't be involved in anything if it wasn't fully hands-on. There's no other way."
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Jean Baptiste Lacroix5. Dash Boutique
The Dash Boutique in Calabasas, California, was where it all started for the three sisters, opening its doors in 2006. The boutique stocked a selection of high-end clothing and accessories and, throughout its 12 years of operation, expanded into multiple locations, including Miami and Manhattan.
Kimoji/ instagram4. Kimoji
In 2015, Kim launched the Kimoji app, which contained a range of 250 emojis and GIFs, including Kim's legendary crying face and memorable scenes from the reality show. It took the virtual world by storm making $1 million every minute and boasting 9000 downloads every second. Later, it moved to making emoji adorned merch, including T-shirts and phone cases.
Stefanie Keenan3. KKW Beauty & SKKN
Despite the demise of her inaugural beauty brand, 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.
However, in 2021, Kim announced the closure of the makeup brand. In a statement on her social media, she said, “On August 1st at midnight we will be shutting down the KKWBeauty.com site so that we can come back to your 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”. So far, it appears to be a success with her fanbase!
KKWFragrance / Instagram2. KKW Fragrance
Calling upon her previous experience in perfumery, Kim launched a collection of three scents – Crystal Gardenia, Crystal Gardenia Citrus and Crystal Gardenia Oud – under new label KKW Fragrance in 2017. 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.
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Skims/ Instagram1. Skims
Despite a rocky start and global outrage over Kim's appropriation of the word Kimono, Kim successfully renamed her “solutionwear” business to SKIMS, which launched in 2019 and has since grown into a multi-billion dollar brand. Now, Skims is available across the world and offers a vast range of smoothing and contouring underwear, as well as loungewear and pyjamas.
