All Of Kim Kardashian's Businesses Ranked By Success
The Kardashian empire wasn't built in a day; it took cross-promoting, intuitive timing, and Kris Jenner's presence to take it where it is now. Its humble beginnings in Kim Kardashian's extravagant persona on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" developed into a multi-million dollar affair of collaborations, brand launches, and an uber-curated aesthetic, according to Forbes. Now, it's hard to find a video where the sisters aren't promoting something. For example, Kylie Jenner's "What's In My Bag" segment on YouTube gives us a rundown of all of her siblings' current product endeavors.
Kim has arguably been in the game the longest and has launched numerous businesses over the past decade. Each has reflected how she wanted to be perceived by the public at the time, which makes us believe she may launch something that Pete Davidson would wear soon. From reality TV star to the original Instagram influencer, Kim's trajectory as a celebrity can be tracked through her entrepreneurial spirit. Read on to know which businesses were the most successful for Kim.
6. Kardashian Beauty
In 2012, riding off the success of their reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," sisters Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian launched Khroma Beauty, as per Fashionista. The line offered a complete makeup routine: eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, mascaras, and lipsticks. Influencers who reviewed it weren't entirely impressed, though. Judy Travis from the YouTube channel ItsJudyTime said: "I'm not too impressed ... I personally wouldn't buy any more Khroma products because the quality just isn't there." Beauty YouTuber Wayne Goss also noted that "It's definitely more drugstore than it is high end, without a doubt, but the price reflects that as well."
However, the brand was pulled from stores one year after being sued for its name by makeup artist Lee Tillett, who had trademarked her own brand Kroma Makeup (via Daily Mail). Khroma Beauty was then renamed Kardashian Beauty, but it didn't achieve the success that their later beauty brands did. A source told Fashionista, "Serious beauty buffs weren't interested in the line, and even though some of the products had cult-like followings, Kardashian Beauty didn't have the industry respect that Kylie Cosmetics and KKW have now."
5. Dash Boutique
Kim and her sisters' foray into fashion began around the time their reality show started. According to Complex, they only agreed to do "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" to promote their store. So, we have Dash Boutique in Calabasas to thank for the wildly successful reality show. Launched in 2006, Dash became a part of the regular cast to remind us that it's a one-stop contemporary boutique that can help shoppers achieve Kardashian-approved fashion. But as the show picked up and the sisters found other avenues of income, the store wasn't as much of a priority. It wasn't particularly popular either, according to Yelp reviewers. One said, "The store is small, dark, and dismal ... It's pretty sad. The store clerks don't really seem to expect much from customers, so they kinda stand behind the counter and stare. I'm assuming no one really 'shops' in there, just looks" (via Racked).
So, no one was surprised when it shuttered in 2018. Kim said in a statement, "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."
4. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
Are you even a gamer if you haven't played "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood"? Kim is definitely versatile in her ventures, and this game is proof. First launched in 2014, the choose-your-adventure game lets you literally be Kim. You can attend parties, dress up for red carpets, take selfies — you know, what influencers do all day. As it turns out, the game tapped into many unfulfilled influencing dreams.
According to Forbes, the game launched in 2014 and was downloaded over 40 million times in 2015, becoming its developer company Glu's biggest moneymaker. Kim herself tweeted in 2016, "Sorry I'm late to the party guys, I was busy cashing my 80 million video game check," but Forbes reported that her earnings were probably half of that number. In 2018, Glu reported $8 million in quarterly revenue (via Sensor Tower). While it may not compare to her other ventures, the game is still doing well on App Store charts, earning 4.7 out of 5 from over 200,000 ratings.
3. Kimoji
Kim has had her life documented on screen for over 15 years, and in that time, we've seen her laugh, cry, and ugly-cry. But in 2015, these iconic moments didn't have to stay on television solely. Kim launched Kimoji that year, an app with over 250 Kim lookalike emojis — including emojis of her emotionally breaking down. It was a paid app that was being obsessively downloaded 9,000 times per second on its first day, as per Complex. It also made $1 million per minute that day — which is a number we cannot comprehend, so we'll move past that.
However, in 2019, social media developer David Liebensohn sued Kim for taking their original ideas of 'Kimoji' and trademarking it without allowing them to profit, per The Washington Post. With controversy surrounding the app and the numbers staying stagnant, Kim and her sisters decided to shut down their respective apps and websites in 2018 (via Page Six).
2. KKW Fragrance and KKW Beauty
In 2017, Kim launched three perfumes under the label KKW Fragrance. The fragrances were Crystal Gardenia, Crystal Gardenia Oud, and Crystal Gardenia Citrus — all of which sold out in the week they launched, according to FashionNetwork. This remains remarkable since they were sold online, and initial buyers didn't know what the scents even smelled like. The perfume brand was a natural next step for Kim since she released perfumes before (via Fragrantica). This time, however, the fragrances made their debut soon after KKW Beauty, which was a brand she released a few months prior. Both launches were spectacular successes.
KKW Fragrance made about $10 million on the first day (via TMZ), and KKW Beauty's makeup line brought in $14 million in just three hours (via People). Both brands are lucrative businesses for the celebrity as they initially brought in the bulk of her wealth. In 2020, she sold 20% of KKW Beauty to Coty for $200 million, which propelled her into the billionaires club, per Forbes. However, one other business continues to do really well for Kim.
1. Skims
Kim Kardashian capitalized on her coveted butt, which has made it on magazine covers and Instagram ads with the launch of Skims. In 2019, Kim introduced her shapewear line to consumers as "a solutions-oriented brand creating the next generation of underwear, loungewear, and shapewear" (via Skims).
According to an anonymous source, the company was initially valued above $500 million, and Forbes estimated Kim's majority stake in the company to be $225 million. But the brand's value exponentially increased during the pandemic as Skims quickly adapted. It introduced loungewear and comfy clothes almost immediately after quarantine orders were in place (via The New York Times). Now, the company is valued at $1.6 billion and has over 3.5 million followers on Instagram, where it continues to release drop dates for new lines. Kim told The New York Times that she hopes to build Skims into a "multigenerational brand that will be around for a very long time."