Reliance's luxury unit brings Kim Kardashian's SKIMS to India

Reliance Brands, the luxury retail arm of Reliance Retail, has partnered with Kim Kardashian's ​SKIMS to bring the shapewear brand to ‌India, as global companies race to enter the country's burgeoning fashion and beauty markets.

The firm, a unit ​of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), opens new tab, will operate ​the SKIMS brand across physical and digital ⁠channels, beginning with Delhi and Mumbai, the companies said ​on Wednesday.

Indian beauty retailers are rushing to bring international brands ​to the country as Gen Z and millennial consumers, influenced by social media, gravitate to global beauty trends ​and celebrity-backed brands.

Indian beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa (FSNE.NS), opens new tab also teamed ​up with pop singer Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty this year as ‌well ⁠as Shiseido Group-owned NARS Cosmetics.

The SKIMS partnership adds to Reliance Retail's growing foreign brand portfolio including singer Rihanna's Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, designer brands such as Stella ​McCartney, and Italian ​luxury ⁠house Valentino.

SKIMS entry comes at a time when India's shapewear market is ​seeing robust growth with a mix ​of homegrown ⁠direct-to-consumer brands, including Underneat, and international labels vying for customers.

Founded in 2019, SKIMS has been expanding its global retail footprint with recent ⁠store ​openings in London and ​Dubai, after raising $225 million in funding that valued the company at $5 billion.