Introduction

Skims has evolved far beyond being a celebrity-founded brand. Co-founded by Kim Kardashian, her husband Jens Grede & Emma Grede, the brand in a relatively short span of time, has positioned itself as a serious global player in the premium shapewear and essentials category, standing alongside brands like Lululemon, Nike Women, and Spanx. What sets Skims apart is not just its cultural visibility, but the way it has translated brand trust into a high-performing digital storefront that caters to a wide range of body types, use cases, and buying intents.

For a customer landing on the Skims website for the first time, the brand immediately signals credibility, quality, and intent. It does not feel experimental or trying hard to be chasing trends at all. Instead, it feels very intentional & deliberate. At Suplex, our UX/UI and website performance experts analysed Skims from the perspective of navigation efficiency, trust-building, conversion flow, and technical performance. What emerged was a website that is exceptionally strong from a user experience standpoint, with only minor gaps at a technical performance level.

What Skims’ Website Does Well

1. Collaboration-led trust building on the homepage

One of the strongest aspects of Skims’ homepage is how confidently it leads with its collaborations. Partnerships like Nike x Skims and The North Face x Skims are not hidden away as press mentions; they are front and centre. This immediately reframes Skims in the mind of a new user. If globally trusted brands like Nike or The North Face are willing to collaborate, it sends a clear signal that Skims is operating at a high quality and credibility threshold.

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For customers who already trust these legacy performance brands, the transfer of trust is almost automatic. It removes the hesitation often associated with trying a new premium apparel brand and distances Skims from fast-fashion perceptions. Without saying it explicitly, the website communicates that Skims belongs in a serious, performance-led ecosystem.

2. Minimal & honest product photography

Skims’ product imagery is refreshingly simple and to the point. Unlike fashion retailers like Zara, that rely on dramatic poses, heavy styling, or elaborate sets, Skims keeps its photography clean and functional. Models are shown in simple postures, neutral environments, and consistent lighting. There are no visual tricks or any sort of distractions competing for the consumer’s attention.

This approach works especially well for a category like shapewear and body essentials, where customers are buying for fit, comfort, compression, and real-world use. The absence of distractions allows users to focus on how the product actually looks on the body. It also reinforces a sense of transparency. The brand is not trying to hide anything behind styling theatrics, which builds confidence for customers making higher-consideration purchases.

3. Deeply structured and intuitive navigation

Skims’ navigation is one of the most mature and thoughtfully designed aspects of the website. The hamburger menu is not just a list of categories; it is a well-organised decision-making tool. Categories branch into subcategories, which then break down further by style, use case, and even compression levels.

For example, within shapewear, users can navigate by product type, solution, or compression strength, all from a single flow. Men’s and women’s sections are equally detailed, with new arrivals, bundles, fabric guides, and styles clearly mapped out. Visual cues within the menu further support decision-making, reducing the need for trial-and-error browsing.

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This level of nesting on the homepage menu itself significantly lowers friction on any brand’s website. Instead of landing on a broad category page and filtering endlessly, users can reach the exact product type they are looking for in just a few clicks. For both first-time visitors and repeat customers, this makes the shopping experience feel efficient and intentional rather than overwhelming.

Where the Experience Slightly Falls Short

Site speed & technical performance

From a user perspective, this does not immediately break trust, but it does introduce subtle friction. Longer load times increase the chances of impatience, particularly for mobile users who are browsing casually or moving between products quickly. Over time, this can affect engagement depth and repeat visit behaviour, even if the design and content are otherwise excellent.

This is not a structural or UX issue., but more of a technical one. With performance optimisation, caching improvements, and asset management, this gap can be closed without altering the user-facing experience at all.

Suplex Rating and Final Assessment

Taking all factors into account, Suplex rates the Skims website 4.5 out of 5. This score reflects an exceptionally strong foundation in user experience, navigation design, trust-building, and conversion logic. The website feels like it understands its customer deeply and respects their time, intent, and decision-making process.

The remaining half point is purely technical. Improving load speed and backend performance would elevate the experience from excellent to best-in-class. Importantly, this is a fixable gap, not a strategic flaw. From a UX and conversion standpoint, Skims sets a benchmark that many premium e-commerce brands in the similar niche or category can learn from.

About Suplex

Suplex is a UX/UI design and website development agency based in Dubai, working with brands across fashion, wellness, food, and lifestyle categories globally. We specialise in conversion-focused UX design, high-performance e-commerce platforms, and scalable digital experiences. If you’re building or evolving a digital presence and want a more considered approach to UX, structure, and performance, you can connect with us through the link beside this article.