Shapewear brand Skims partners with breast cancer foundation in awareness push

Skims, the 4 billion dollar valued shapewear company, has launched a breast cancer awareness campaign featuring actress Olivia Munn, marking a pivot towards health advocacy in its marketing strategy. The initiative, developed in partnership with Susan G. Komen Foundation, aims to promote early detection screening while driving commercial growth in the brand's expanding intimates category.

The campaign's timing coincides with Munn's personal disclosure of her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year, which reportedly triggered a 500 per cent surge in visits to Komen's risk assessment tool. The partnership represents a strategic alliance between consumer retail and healthcare advocacy, as breast cancer cases continue to rise among women under 50 in the US.

Fashion advocacy

"When Olivia Munn courageously shared her story earlier this year, Komen.org saw a 500 percent increase in visits to our risk assessment tool—a powerful reminder of how even one single, amplified voice can save lives," said Paula Schneider, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen. "The stark reality is that in the U.S., a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes, and every 12 minutes, we lose another to the disease."

The campaign, shot by photographer Vanessa Beecroft, will support a commercial initiative where Skims pledges to donate 10 per cent of bra sales to the Susan G. Komen Foundation between October 23-31, 2024.

"It's an honour to partner with SKIMS and Susan G. Komen on this incredible campaign. This cause is deeply personal to me, and I'm proud to help drive awareness and conversation around it," said Munn, who appears in the campaign wearing pieces from Skims' Ultimate Bra collection.

The partnership reflects a broader trend of fashion brands leveraging cause-related marketing to build consumer trust while addressing public health concerns. Kim Kardashian, Skims' co-founder and chief creative officer, framed the initiative as an extension of the brand's inclusivity mission, though industry analysts note it also serves to strengthen the company's position in the competitive intimates market ahead of its anticipated initial public offering.