SKIMS, the apparel brand founded by Kim Kardashian, has opened its first flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue featuring interiors by Rafael de Cárdenas.
The SKIMS NYC Flagship has taken over a historic building with an ornately detailed stone facade, situated a block north of St Patrick’s Cathedral and opposite Rockefeller Center.
Inside, De Cárdenas has applied the brand’s signature nude palette to softly curved surfaces, rounded arches and flooring throughout.
“The sumptuously soft but exactingly clean interior of the flagship sets off the landmark building’s intricately historical facade,” said the New York-based designer.
“The collaboration has produced an immersive and innovative brand experience for existing SKIMS customers, and new ones, to discover,” he added.
In the soaring ground-floor space, a giant mannequin presides over the displays of SKIMS’ ultra-stretchy underwear, loungewear and shapewear collections.
The products are laid out on Corian display podiums and smaller mannequins are set into niches that match their tonal colourways, which are designed for a wide range of skin tones.
Walls are covered in soft ultrasuede, with mirrored panels in-between that create infinite reflections where they face one another.
Fitting rooms feature wraparound mirrors and light-box ceilings installed to “bathe customers in a soft, flattering light”.
One floor is dedicated to menswear, which SKIMS launched in 2023.
“This flagship is a dream realised for SKIMS,” said Kardashian. “We’ve created a space that perfectly embodies our brand and elevates the customer experience.”
“New York City has always held a special place in my heart, and opening our first flagship here during the holidays is truly magical,” she added.
Kardashian founded SKIMS in 2019, and the brand has created pop-up retail spaces in cities including Paris and London since its inception.
In 2022, SKIMS released an underwear line for people with disabilities, which combines easy-access closures with a range of sizes and colours to suit different skin tones and body types.
De Cárdenas, whose firm was shortlisted for interior design studio of the year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards, has created spaces for a variety of household-name brands during his career.
These include the New York headquarters for cosmetics company Glossier and a bar inside department store Nordstrom.
The photography is by William Abranowicz.
