On the Growing Market of Shapewear
By Lexi Klein
From Fashion Nova to Skims to Yummie, shapewear has become the new streetwear. This style of comfortable clothing has taken over the fashion industry, with headline-worthy names such as Kim Kardashian breaking into the space with their own lines.
Kardashian’s shapewear brand, Skims, lives by the slogan “solutions for every body,” highlighting the brand’s drive for body inclusivity. Despite the original labeling of the brand as an underwear company, Skims has since released bodysuits seen out at parties, dresses worn to Saturday night dinners and loungewear accompanied by an afternoon of errands.
USC freshman Jennifer Lathrop made sure to pack her Skims Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress for Spring Break ‘22. “I think Skims is so successful because the clothes are very flattering for all body types. I often have a difficult time finding clothes that fit me correctly and I feel that not only the fit of the clothing but also the material allows me to feel comfortable and confident in Skims,” Lathrop said. A night out at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos was the perfect occasion for Lathrop to sport her shapewear, showcasing how it can be dressed up or down.
The brand’s new Icons campaign features household supermodel names such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel, giving Victoria’s Secret a run for its money with former angels featured on Skims’ billboards. Many were surprised to see Banks among the crew, considering she had not modeled lingerie and undergarments since retiring from the runway.
Kardashian convinced Banks to take part in the campaign after reassuring the model of the brand’s goals of inclusivity. "[Kim] helped me to step into my own, I guess, power and influence as an icon in the modeling industry," Banks said. "Then she talked about that I was a role model for her back in the day, which really touched me. And she said when I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she hadn’t seen boobs that were real and big and curves. And she said that gave her self-esteem for her body."
While Skims has dominated the shapewear realm of fashion since 2019, a new label by none other than girl-boss performer, Lizzo, released this April. The pop star announced her launch of the shapewear brand Yitty as a partnership with Fabletics, an activewear brand known for its reasonable pricing and comfortable everyday leggings.
“I was tired of seeing this sad, restrictive shapewear that literally no one wanted to wear. I had an epiphany like, ‘who can actually do something about this?’ I decided to take on the challenge of allowing women to feel unapologetically good about themselves again,” Lizzo said.
As evidenced through not only her lyrics, but also her presence on stage, Lizzo is unapologetically herself in every outfit. That being said, the singer knows firsthand just how difficult it is for women to find shapewear that fits properly and flatters curves as well.
Yitty aims to be a “revolutionary new shapewear brand” for all, with sizes ranging from 6X to XS. With the talk and excitement surrounding Lizzo’s upcoming release, Skims might have a new competitor on their radar. The call for greater inclusivity and availability for all shapes and sizes is more prevalent than ever, and the fashion industry today has shapewear on speed dial.
Kardashian’s shapewear brand, Skims, lives by the slogan “solutions for every body,” highlighting the brand’s drive for body inclusivity. Despite the original labeling of the brand as an underwear company, Skims has since released bodysuits seen out at parties, dresses worn to Saturday night dinners and loungewear accompanied by an afternoon of errands.
USC freshman Jennifer Lathrop made sure to pack her Skims Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress for Spring Break ‘22. “I think Skims is so successful because the clothes are very flattering for all body types. I often have a difficult time finding clothes that fit me correctly and I feel that not only the fit of the clothing but also the material allows me to feel comfortable and confident in Skims,” Lathrop said. A night out at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos was the perfect occasion for Lathrop to sport her shapewear, showcasing how it can be dressed up or down.
The brand’s new Icons campaign features household supermodel names such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel, giving Victoria’s Secret a run for its money with former angels featured on Skims’ billboards. Many were surprised to see Banks among the crew, considering she had not modeled lingerie and undergarments since retiring from the runway.
Kardashian convinced Banks to take part in the campaign after reassuring the model of the brand’s goals of inclusivity. "[Kim] helped me to step into my own, I guess, power and influence as an icon in the modeling industry," Banks said. "Then she talked about that I was a role model for her back in the day, which really touched me. And she said when I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she hadn’t seen boobs that were real and big and curves. And she said that gave her self-esteem for her body."
While Skims has dominated the shapewear realm of fashion since 2019, a new label by none other than girl-boss performer, Lizzo, released this April. The pop star announced her launch of the shapewear brand Yitty as a partnership with Fabletics, an activewear brand known for its reasonable pricing and comfortable everyday leggings.
“I was tired of seeing this sad, restrictive shapewear that literally no one wanted to wear. I had an epiphany like, ‘who can actually do something about this?’ I decided to take on the challenge of allowing women to feel unapologetically good about themselves again,” Lizzo said.
As evidenced through not only her lyrics, but also her presence on stage, Lizzo is unapologetically herself in every outfit. That being said, the singer knows firsthand just how difficult it is for women to find shapewear that fits properly and flatters curves as well.
Yitty aims to be a “revolutionary new shapewear brand” for all, with sizes ranging from 6X to XS. With the talk and excitement surrounding Lizzo’s upcoming release, Skims might have a new competitor on their radar. The call for greater inclusivity and availability for all shapes and sizes is more prevalent than ever, and the fashion industry today has shapewear on speed dial.