Kim Kardashian Hit with 43-Page Lawsuit Over Skims Trademark

Kim Kardashian is facing a legal battle over her shapewear empire, Skims. According to newly public documents, an independent New York-based designer has filed a lawsuit accusing Skims of appropriating the name "Fits Everybody" for its best-selling product line—a trademark allegedly owned by the boutique brand "Fits Everybody To A T."

Skims fashion brand

The 43-page complaint was filed on March 31 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of founder Denise Cesare. The plaintiff alleges that Skims proceeded with the launch of its "Fits Everybody" line despite receiving multiple explicit notices regarding Cesare’s established trademark rights.

In the filing, Cesare's legal team asserts that Skims made a calculated decision to brazenly use the moniker, leveraging its vast financial resources, celebrity influence, and formidable marketing machinery to steamroll a smaller competitor. Cesare’s attorney argued that the defendants believed they could simply outspend, out-promote, and drag out a legal fight to secure an unfair advantage.

Notably, Cesare claims to have used the "Fits Everybody To A T" trademark for nearly a decade, well before the 2019 inception of Skims. In the intervening years, Kardashian’s brand has skyrocketed to a $5 billion valuation, establishing itself as a dominant force in the global shapewear market.

A central pillar of the lawsuit hinges on the likelihood of consumer confusion. The plaintiff contends that Skims’ adoption of the "Fits Everybody" name has completely eclipsed her brand, rendering it virtually invisible on search engines beneath Skims’ massive digital footprint. Cesare's counsel highlighted this as a textbook case of "reverse confusion"—a phenomenon where a corporate giant adopts a mark similar to a smaller company's, leading the public to falsely assume the smaller entity is the copycat.

Cesare is currently seeking an injunction to compel Skims to cease using the "Fits Everybody" name, alongside damages that include legal fees and associated profits. The filing notes that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has previously denied Skims’ trademark registration applications for the phrase on two separate occasions, citing the high risk of confusion with the preexisting brand.

Despite being asked to cease using the name nearly two years ago, the lawsuit alleges that Skims has continued to promote and expand the "Fits Everybody" product line, generating an estimated $700 million to $900 million in revenue.

At present, neither party has issued an official statement. However, the litigation is garnering significant attention—not merely because it involves a high-profile celebrity like Kim Kardashian, but also because it raises broader questions concerning the boundaries of corporate brand power and the legal protections afforded to small businesses within the fashion industry.