Kim Kardashian is ending the year on a high note, opening the first flagship in New York City for her rapidly expanding Skims brand, on Fifth Avenue in the heart of midtown. The building is in an auspicious location at 647 Fifth Avenue near 52nd Street, home of the Versace brand for two decades and next door to the Cartier Fifth Avenue Mansion. With 6,570 square feet of selling space over four floors, a dedicated room devoted to collaborations, a showroom/VIP area, office space and 175 employees, it’s the brand’s sixth and largest store yet — and a milestone for the company that earned a $4 billion valuation last year. I sat down with Skims cofounder and chief creative officer Kardashian and cofounder and chief executive officer Jens Grede to discuss their love of brick-and-mortar stores (Kardashian’s first job was in retail at a store called Body in the Valley), their slow-and-steady approach to retail expansion, the success of the North Face collaboration that sold out online in five minutes, Skims’ evolution into an apparel brand, their plans for 2025 and that rumored IPO…. A few interesting points: “We’ve had close to 10 million customers,” Grede said of the brand’s overall reach. “We know where they are, and we’re able to talk to them. And one of the amazing learnings is in terms of new customer acquisition, and just how much more productive a city becomes once we have a physical store,” he said. And…“I know every single product that we have, I have fit every single product that we have coming out. And I know if there is something that slid by me, that I didn’t get the final approval on from the detail on the stitching,” Kardashian said of her role. And…Could Skims one day be on the runway? “I can absolutely see us doing a show, not like a regularly on the fashion schedule show, but maybe something a little bit more unique,” Kardashian said. “It would have to be an experience more than a regular show, but I would never rule anything out.” Story @wwd and linked in bio. 📷 @alexgharper