Given the number of times Kim Kardashian has broken the internet with her unapologetic (and usually latex-hugging) style, it is hard to recall a time when the socialite and entrepreneur was not on our fashion radar. Now, a decade after her Met Gala debut in head-to-toe Ricardo Tisci Givenchy florals, we take a look back on the relationships with different fashion designers that defined her journey in fashion, from her days as Balmain Barbie to her current reign as Balenciaga Queen.
Balenciaga: Her Avant-Garde Era
It is pretty much impossible to think of Balenciaga without having Kim Kardashian come to mind. After years of starring in Balenciaga campaigns, this Kardashian officially became the brand’s ambassador in January 2024. From her all-black masked haute couture gown for Met Gala 2021 and hot pink velvet catsuit for her SNL host debut to being wrapped up in caution tape at Balenciaga’s AW22 show, Kardashian has rewritten the rules of event fashion time and time again with creative director Demna Gvasalia. She also took centre stage in the brand’s 2022 Le Cagole campaign in which she flaunted a fluorescent green iteration of the bag, causing a reported 325% spike in searches for “neon green bags” within 24 hours of the campaign’s release. Other brand icons, notably the Hourglass bag and bug-eye shades, have also become synonymous with Kardashian’s style.
Skims: Like Second Skin
This Kardashian’s solutions-oriented shapewear brand has evolved into including loungewear and sleepwear five years down the line. In late October 2023, the brand even introduced “Skims Men’s” with some of sport’s biggest names modelling the underwear, tees and socks. At that point, Skims had reached 4 Billion USD in valuation and now it is set to open five permanent stores in multiple US cities. Aside from brand campaigns, the co-founder is often spotted in the brand’s figure-hugging dresses be it to events or just for a night out.
Mother Mothering
The mother of four never misses an opportunity to match with her children. Most recently, she dressed the part of the soccer mom, matching with her son in Real Madrid jerseys while visiting the team. On special occasions like Easter and Christmas, you’ll find her cosying up with her children in matching pyjamas while Halloween calls for coordinating costumes.
Balmain: Latex Barbie?
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Before Kim Kardashian was bundling herself up in yellow Balenciaga tape, she was squeezing herself into brown Balmain latex. The fashion mogul nicknamed herself “Balmain Barbie” in 2019 when she took to Instagram in a monogrammed shoulder-padded crop top and cycling shorts paired with matching gloves, a bag and a mask from the brand. And much like her bold latex number, her nickname stuck for quite a while.
Mugler: Turning Heads With Old Friend
Kardashian’s relationship with late designer Thierry Mugler can be summed up in one sentence: he came out of retirement just to design her wet look for the 2019 Met Gala. The outfit in question marked Mugler’s first design since 2003: a show-stopping nude latex gown dripping with water beads that took him eight months to craft. The afterparty look was nothing short of glamour either: a sky-blue latex number with silver embellishments paired with a silver wig.
Tisci-era Givenchy: How It All Began
May 6, 2013 attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Photo: Larry Busacca via Getty Images
While the likes of Demna, Rousteing and Mugler have played crucial roles in cementing Kim Kardashian’s style icon status, it was Ricardo Tisci who stood behind her ten years ago when she made her debut into the world of high fashion. The two crossed paths in 2012 when Tisci helmed Givenchy, and he was one of the few designers, if not the first, who embraced Kardashian after she shot to fame for starring in her family’s reality TV series. For her very first Met Gala appearance, he dressed her in a floral-covered long-sleeve gown with gloves, which became the most-talked-about look of the night and instantly placed Kardashian in the fashion spotlight.
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That was not the only life milestone Tisci witnessed: in May 2014, Kardashian walked down the wedding aisle in a Givenchy lace-panelled haute couture dress custom-crafted by the Italian fashion designer. “Every designer is dying to dress her now. I didn’t care what people thought about Kim”, Tisci told Details. “In the beginning, I met her because of my respect for Kanye, and then I liked her a lot and we became friends. I got killed because of this. But I didn’t care. That is a friend, you see.”
Editor
Kaitlyn Lai
