A TikToker says she found dupes for Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line Skims by identifying manufacturers that the company uses.
Alex Friedman, a TikToker who creates content about the tech world and startups, says she used ImportYeti, a tool for finding the companies that supply other companies with materials, to discover that Skims’ supplier is Eurotex Tekstil Ticaret, a Turkish manufacturer.
Friedman explains that Eurotex Tekstil Ticaret has “supplied for other brands,” namely Spanx.
“So, giving [Skims] the benefit of the doubt that they put in just as much work as they say they did, it’s unlikely to get the exact same product,” Friedman says in a video with almost 3 million views. “But you’ll probably be able to get pretty darn close.”
The Daily Dot generated the same results as Friedman on ImportYeti. Skims’ biggest supplier is Eurotex Tekstil Ticaret, followed by Henglitai, L H P Hong Kong, Kare Giyim Moda San Dis Tic, and Cherry Intimate.
In addition to Spanx and Skims, Eurotex Tekstil Ticaret supplies for companies including Bravado Designs, Global Sourcing Associates, and Ingrid & Isabel.
Friedman’s video was spurred by another viral TikTok regarding the shapewear from @maya4.2.0, who posted footage of her showing that her Skims products has been mislabeled: the tag on a bra said the item cost $4.90, even though @maya4.2.0 bought it for $46.00.
“Kim K out here scamming the public,” @maya4.2.0 wrote in the video’s overlay text.
Many of the comments on Friedman’s video were requests to find manufacturers for other companies. Some commenters discussed pricing for big brands that use the same manufacturers.
“I used to work in this as a supplier. Used the same factories as upper market brands. For lower prices,” user @mikmiktattoos commented. “Mostly paying for brand name.”
“I know the EXACT mill they got fabric from bc when I worked at Revolve they specifically requested the fabric,” @p00pheadd wrote.
In a comment on the video, Friedman clarified that “this is most useful for people trying to start businesses not avg consumers”: suppliers like Eurotex Tekstil Ticaret usually won’t sell knock-offs to “individual customers,” Friedman told the Daily Dot in an email statement.
“[The method shown] is to find manufacturers and suppliers. For the most part, these manufacturers and suppliers will have high MOQ’s (minimum order quantity) and only sell to people with a business license,” Friedman said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Skims via contact form.
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