Lizzo Says Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS Line Helped Make Yitty Possible: ‘People Were Not Believing’
It’s undeniable that Lizzo has carved her own path to fame. The pop star, lauded for her self-love anthems and body positivity, has done everything on her terms. She’s created albums without leaning on other famous artists, and when she couldn’t find the right set of dancers to round out her Big Grrrls squad, she created her own competition show to find them.
Now, the Grammy award-winning artist is parlaying her success on the stage into a new business venture. Lizzo is the face of a new inclusive shapewear line, called Yitty, that’s in collaboration with Fabletics. However, the “Good as Hell” singer says that competitors like Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand were what paved the way for Yitty.
Kim Kardashian’s Skims is worth $3.2 billion 3 years after launching
We’ve had athleisure and shapewear like Spanx for years, but the shapewear-as-outerwear trend is relatively new. So, too, is the buy-in for inclusive sizing in this corner of the clothing industry. Kim Kardashian’s Skims line is one of the first to make that a reality.
Kardashian founded the company in 2019 with entrepreneur Jens Grede, and the brand that started just with shapewear now includes loungewear and sleepwear, along with swimwear collections. The business was one of the first to offer sizing from XXS to 5X, while boasting fairly affordable price points. (Bodysuits start around $60 on the website, and underwear bundles are comparable to any deals you’ll find at traditional retailers like Aerie, Victoria’s Secret, and others.)
Skims is now worth $3.2 billion, according to Time, which named the business one of the most influential companies of 2022. The shapewear powerhouse has collaborated with Fendi and outfitted Team USA for the 2020 Olympics. It doesn’t hurt to have a cultural icon as your brand’s founder, but Skims also benefits from high-profile advertising campaigns featuring models including Kate Moss, Addison Rae, Heidi Klum, and Tyra Banks, among others.
Lizzo says collaborators were skeptical of the potential market for inclusive shapewear
The star launched her own shapewear line, Yitty, in April 2022. She said on Instagram that the line was “5 years in the making” and would feature “Underwear, Overwear, Anywhere. For Every Damn Body.” Recently, Lizzo told Vogue that the shapewear of yesteryear caused her to hate her body. “[They were] a tool used to make me feel sh**** about myself; I couldn’t breathe, I would be sweating profusely, and [eventually] I just said f*** it,” she said.
The pop star quit wearing foundation garments altogether, until being on tour made it necessary again. At that point, though, she had more leverage to work with stylists to find the right pieces. And once again, she sought to forge her own path when the choices she had still were missing something. Lizzo said she looked for collaborators for years, but it wasn’t until Kardashian’s Skims and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lines grew in popularity that interest grew.
“I was taking meetings, and people were not believing,” Lizzo said. “This was before a lot of the cool shapewear brands had launched, so they didn’t see the importance of the category.” In another interview with Vanity Fair, Lizzo takes it one step further and says the Skims line “validated” the market potential she’d been championing already.
Yitty, Lizzo’s collection, offers sizes from 6X to XS
The inclusive shapewear industry is still in its infancy, but Lizzo is optimistic about the growth potential and the possibilities for people who are tired of stuffing themselves into uncomfortable garments. “That was even more reason we should do it; people are still buying girdles, and they don’t need to be going through the torture that they’re putting themselves through,” she told Vogue.
Yitty, named for another one of Lizzo’s nicknames, is a collaboration with Fabletics and is available online, in pop-up shops, and in traditional shopping malls. Lizzo is, no surprise, the brand’s largest advocate, with her Twitter handle even renamed to “Follow @Yitty.” The brand offers sizes from 6X to XS — one size larger than Skims. Along with the traditional nude colors, Yitty boasts intentionally loud hues and prints to show off as part of your wardrobe, if you choose to. The brand has relatively rave reviews from Oprah, Refinery29, and more, along with more than 65 million related videos from April to June this year, per Modern Retail.
As with her music, Lizzo said the brand is her offering to those who need a confidence boost. “Other than music, never have I ever been able to create something tangible that people can take home and use to make themselves feel more confident,” she said.
