Watch @kimkardashian's full interview with @savannahguthrie and @hodakotb about the launch of her shapewear line, @skims, how her kids are doing, studying to become a lawyer and more. pic.twitter.com/2jZ3L2pVQJ— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 10, 2019
Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Kim Kardashian says she "understood" backlash to Kimono, the original name for her shapewear line.
The 38-year-old television personality explained during Tuesday's episode of Today why she changed the name from Kimono to Skims following accusations of cultural appropriation.
"I'm so inspired by the Japanese culture. I didn't understand that it would have been offensive," Kardashian told Today hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. "We ran it by retailers, we ran it by a bunch of people that we respected. Everyone seemed to really like the name."
"As soon as it came out, there was so much backlash," she said. "I called a lot of people to get advice from it. I really understood. I understood what people were saying and I would never want to intentionally disrespect a culture. I would never intentionally also hurt my brand and have that association."
Kardashian already had 2 million garments printed and packaged with "Kimono" but found a way to use the products without damaging them.
"That was a really big deal to me," she said. "I had to weigh everything out and so I announced I was going to change the name. It took a while to come up with a new name -- Skims just sounded right."
Kardashian announced her shapewear line in June and officially launched the line Tuesday. The ad campaign features Kardashian and her sisters Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner, along with Alice Marie Johnson, the woman granted clemency by President Donald Trump in 2018 after Kardashian successfully lobbied for her.
