Kim Kardashian said Kanye West was the 'ghost creative director' of the shapewear brand she launched in September and that he held a 2-hour meeting about product's packaging
- Kanye West was the "ghost creative director" of his wife Kim Kardashian West's shapewear line SKIMS, Kardashian West said during an interview with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin Wednesday.
- West drew the brand's logo, hired photographers, helped select models, and held a two-hour-long meeting with staff over the product's packaging, Kardashian West said at the day-long conference.
- Kardashian West's shapewear line underwent a complete redesign in August after its original name - Kimono - was widely criticized for being culturally insensitive in June.
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Kanye West played an integral part in the redevelopment of Kim Kardashian West's shapewear line SKIMS, the reality television star said during an interview with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin Wednesday.
"He's like my ghost creative director," Kardashian West said, "It's amazing to have someone you really respect and value their creative opinion."
West drew the brand's logo, hired photographers, helped select models, and held a two-hour-long meeting with staff over the products' packaging, Kardashian West said at the day-long conference. The event, held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday, brought together Airbnb CEO Brain Chesky, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Hillary Clinton, Kim Kardashian West, Kris Jenner, Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, and others to discuss the intersection of business and policy.
"We respectfully let each other have our own voices and our own brands and create our own brands, but we're very much together in every last decision and detail that we make," Kardashian West said, as West looked on from the audience, grinning.
Kardashian West's shapewear line underwent a complete redesign in August after its original name - Kimono Solutionwear - was widely criticized for being culturally insensitive. In a statement to Insider in June, Kardashian West expressed "deep respect" for Japanese culture and said she didn't intend to "dishonor the traditional garment."
This wasn't the first time Kardashian West involved her husband in business decisions, she said at the conference. She said that, at West's request, she once turned down a million-dollar paycheck for an Instagram post with an unnamed fast-fashion brand who had previously sold products similar to those made by Yeezy.
"I completely understood why he said no," Kardashian West said, "and then for Mother's Day he handed me an envelope and it was a check for a million dollars saying 'thank you for not posting for the other brand' and then - I don't know if I'm supposed to say this or if I have - and a contract to be an owner in Yeezy."
Kris Kardashian, who was also being interviewed by Sorkin, interjected, "Yea, Kanye!"
Business Insider's Chloe Pantazi reviewed one of the collection's most highly anticipated items, a one-legged shapewear short designed to be worn under dresses with high slits, and found that did it "did not live up to the hype" because the garment "felt flimsy and too tight." SKIMS announced October 19 that it will add t-shirts, leggings, and dresses to its existing line of shapewear. SKIMS originally launched on September 10.