I Never Thought I’d Say This, But Go Easy on Kim Kardashian’s Ski Apparel

If you happen to read the UK’s highest-circulation tabloid newspaper, the Daily Mail, you may have come across a recent article slamming the new ski-focused collaboration between The North Face and Kim Kardashian’s clothing brand, Skims. 

That’s where I read about the backlash, but it actually originated with a 56-second video by TikToker Dani Lola, who criticizes the outerwear for its neutral hues.

“This is dangerous, guys,” she says. “If you actually go on the mountain, everyone knows you’re supposed to wear colors, where if you fall in the snow, if there’s an avalanche, people will find you.”

To date the video has received more than 5.4 million views and more than 5,000 comments. A follow-up video with more than 40,000 views adds a secondary criticism, that the apparel appears “really thin.”

While Lola’s first point is not necessarily wrong, my first reaction upon seeing the story, watching the videos and reading comments was: Wow, kind of a cheap shot. This criticism is pretty over the top and unfair.

As the title says, I never imagined I’d find myself coming to the defense of Ms. Kardashian, but here are a couple big reasons why.

The North Face x Skims

Industry-wide colorways

The first reason, which really focuses on the “unfair” nature of the backlash, is that this collection is hardly the first to feature ski apparel in understated colors.

Lots of manufacturers have produced resort-ready outerwear available in much more muted tones. I’ve also seen plenty of white items and even full “snow camo” kits. 

These aren’t fly-by-night operations, either. We’re talking reputable brands with long histories of outdoor and ski-specific apparel (not unlike The North Face itself).

Arc’teryx / Oyuki

Here on this page you’ll see examples from Arc’teryx, Oyuki, Obermeyer and Helly Hansen, but the list is much longer.

Are these hues the most visible on the mountain? Not exactly. But these items tend to be available in a variety of colorways — just as the TNF x Skims apparel is — so if you love a certain cut, you aren’t stuck wearing white or earth tones that resemble the woods.

Obermeyer / Helly Hansen

Just to quickly address Lola’s remark about the apparel appearing “really thin,” she was commenting specifically on a photo of models wearing puffy jackets and first-layer leggings (see photo below).

The campaign also includes photos of the models wearing actual ski pants, and the collection includes plenty of jackets, pants and one-piece snow suits, so it’s not like the brands imagine people actually skiing in what amounts to yoga pants.

Even so, I’ve definitely seen that exact look on the slopes — typically on warm bluebird days in the spring. Sometimes fashion just trumps function, which brings me to my second big point.

Use-case fallacy

Lola references avalanches, and while massive snow slides are not uncommon in the mountains, it’s incredibly rare that such a catastrophe would occur in-bounds at a ski resort.

Heck, ski patrollers head out at the crack of dawn after big storms to survey conditions and toss avy bombs to trigger snow slides before the resort the opens. (If you are lodging on/near the mountain and wake up early enough, you can sometimes hear them.)

Looking at the TNF x Skims collection, it’s clear this stuff is designed for use within the bounds of a resort. It’s not intended for folks backcountry touring off the resort or on mountains that have no lifts at all — and no avalanche control.

The ski tourers and splitboarders who tackle that sort of adventure know not to head out without researching conditions and constantly re-evaluating them to make sure the snowpack is stable. They also never leave home without packing an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe — and probably crampons and ice axes to boot.

The North Face x Skims

If I dare jump to a huge conclusion, I’m willing to bet most people snapping up this apparel are more likely to be hanging out around the lodge than skinning up the side of an unpatrolled mountain at dawn in search of sweet, untouched pillow lines and epic cliff drops.

As Ms. Kardashian herself says in a promotional video: “I am so ready to go skiing … or chilling. If you’re not a skier or snowboarder and just like to chill in the snow … how cute are you?”

Cute enough to sell out the whole collection in 24 hours, at least. I checked with my TNF contact about a potential restock and got the following response:

“The North Face x Skims is a limited-edition collection, with no current plans to restock online. However, your desired styles may still be available at your nearest The North Face or Skims store. Visit the store locator at skims.com for a full list of all participating locations.”

Kid caveat

All that being said, it is still totally possible to get into trouble in the bounds of the resort. You can hit a log in the glades or land in a tree well or slip and smack your head on an ice patch or trigger a mini snow slide.

In these situations, I would hope you are not skiing or boarding solo; having a friend alongside you will greatly help in an emergency situation, no matter what colors you wear.

On a related note, I would be remiss not to applaud Lola for an excellent point she makes in her second video: “If you wanna wear white on the ski slopes, you know what, you’re an adult, you do you. But if you’re dressing your children, please dress them in bold colors, in bright patterns.”

I think we can all agree that kids should be as visible as possible on the slopes, for their safety and for the general sanity of their parents.

In that regard, we don’t really have to worry about Ms. Kardashian’s brand though. While it launched men’s apparel last year, I have yet to hear anything about Skims 4 Kids.

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