Can Skims be as successful among men as it is among women?

Skims, the purveyor of modern shapewear for women, is ready to play ball with the NBA…get it? The Kim Kardashian-founded brand landed a multiyear deal that will make the retailer the official underwear partner of the NBA, WNBA, and US Basketball. The news comes on the heels of the brand’s announcement of a men’s collection that debuted on October 26.

Most recently valued at $4 billion, Skims quickly became popular among women for its range of body-positive underwear and shapewear, and now wants to extend the experience to men with an underwear line featuring briefs, undershirts, boxers, and leggings.

But why?

“This is the natural path for them, as it is with most brands,” Brian Ehrig, partner in the consumer practice of consulting firm Kearney, told Retail Brew via email. “They start off with success in one category, and need to continue to find growth so they pursue category expansions.”

Another argument in favor of the category doing well for Skims is that it already has a huge, loyal customer base of women who, per Ehrig, seem to do a “significant portion” of apparel shopping for men in their lives. “So it is easy to think current female consumers of Skims may want to share their love of the brand with their men,” he said.

One important factor that might additionally contribute to the brand’s success among men is marketing. “For Skims, I think it is twofold: Firstly, you have the Kardashian effect and anything Kim is going to do will have traction and an audience,” Akbar Hamid, founder and CEO of fashion, lifestyle, and tech marketing agency 5th Column, told Retail Brew via email. “She has a massive and loyal fan base of both men and women.”

Hamid added that the men’s underwear category still has a lot of room for growth with only a few “key long-standing players like Calvin Klein underwear and, of course, all the more basic brands like Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, or staple household American brands like Old Navy [and] Gap.”

Globally, the men’s underwear market was valued at over $38 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 5.4% from 2023 to 2032, per Global Market Insights.

For a large portion of the population, however, men’s underwear tends to be more about necessity and functionality than anything else. That is changing, however, as newer brands are adding products that offer a little bit more.

“The men’s underwear market is fragmented, as many brands offer underwear with few brands offering underwear as its sole focus,” Erin Schmidt, an independent apparel industry analyst, told Retail Brew via email. “However, there is an increase in men’s underwear offerings that offer both functionality and comfort, particularly for working out. For example, nearly every activewear company offers men’s underwear that offers technical features including ‘ultra-light stretch fabric,’ ‘cooling properties,’ ‘moisture wicking,’ and ‘light compression.’”

Brands like Saxx Underwear and CDLP rely on high-tech fabrics and tend to differentiate their products by marketing their unique features that highlight breathability and moisture.

“For me [CDLP] is doing everything right,” Hamid said. “Elevated essentials, the right amount of sexy, masculinity, and femininity combined, all age ranges—from silk robes and pajama pants to T-shirts and underwear. They showcase the lifestyle and capture content in an aspirational way, making you want to be the men in the campaign.”

Hamid said the essential component to ensure success in the men’s underwear category is inclusivity and a sense of aspiration. Call it the Calvin Klein effect.

For Skims, the brand that also appeals to women of different sizes and skin tones, it should be an easy task to mimic that sense of inclusivity across its men’s range. In fact, per Schmidt, it’s likely.

“I anticipate that Skims will use a similar strategy with its men’s underwear category—differentiating itself through a combination of light and supportive fabrics, which are both functional and comfortable in sizes XS–5X,” she said. “Once it establishes a foothold and gains customers, it will continue to expand into other categories including loungewear and workout and athleisure-style clothing to compete specifically with major players in the men’s performance apparel space including Lululemon, Alo Yoga, and Vuori.”