Fashion is usually a polite business of air kisses and press releases. Then you have Dolce and Gabbana and Kim Kardashian. This wasn't just another celebrity face on a billboard; it was a full-scale takeover that started with a gothic wedding in Portofino and ended up nearly breaking the internet—and a few family ties.
You’ve probably seen the "Ciao Kim" posters. Or maybe you remember the footage of Kim struggling to hop up a flight of stairs in a dress so tight it basically acted as a corset for her entire soul. But the actual story of how the Kim Kardashian and Dolce and Gabbana partnership came to be is way messier and more interesting than the polished runway shots suggest.
Why Dolce and Gabbana and Kim Kardashian Actually Joined Forces
For a long time, the Italian duo of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana weren't exactly fans of the Kardashian clan. Honestly, they were kind of mean about it. Back in 2018, Stefano famously commented on an Instagram post calling the family "the most cheap people in the world."
Ouch.
But fashion has a very short memory when money and 360 million followers are on the table. By 2022, the brand needed a massive pivot. They’d been battling controversy for years, and Kim needed to prove she could lead a major European house without the "curation" of her ex-husband, Kanye West. It was a match made in PR heaven.
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The whole thing kicked off at Kourtney Kardashian’s wedding to Travis Barker. The brand dressed the entire family. It felt like an unofficial audition. Shortly after, Domenico and Stefano realized Kim had an archival collection of their own clothes that was better than what they had in their warehouse. They didn't just want her to wear the clothes; they wanted her to "curate" them.
The Ciao Kim Collection: More Than Just a Runway
The Spring/Summer 2023 show in Milan was the peak of this era. Instead of new designs, Kim went into the archives from 1987 to 2007. She picked pieces that felt "now"—lots of lace, corsetry, and leopard print.
Each item on the runway had a tag showing the year it was originally released. It was a genius move. It leaned into the Y2K vintage trend while reminding everyone that Dolce and Gabbana basically invented that look. While models walked the runway, a giant screen showed a black-and-white film of Kim eating spaghetti in slow motion.
It was high drama. It was camp. It was quintessentially Italian-American.
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But behind the scenes, the "Ciao Kim" moment was causing a massive rift. Kourtney Kardashian felt like Kim was strip-mining her wedding aesthetic for a "business deal." In the Hulu series The Kardashians, we saw the fallout in real-time. Kourtney accused Kim of "copying" her "dolce vita" lifestyle. Kim fired back, noting she specifically avoided the lace looks Kourtney wore to keep things separate.
The SKIMS x Dolce and Gabbana Evolution
Fast forward to late 2024 and early 2025, and the relationship didn't just survive the sisterly spat—it leveled up. The world got the Dolce and Gabbana x SKIMS collaboration.
This was the bridge between luxury couture and mass-market shapewear. Think classic SKIMS silhouettes but covered in that iconic D&G leopard print. To smooth things over (or perhaps just for the optics), both Kim and Kourtney starred in the campaign shot by Nadia Lee Cohen.
The collection included:
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- Corset-style tops that mimic the 90s archive pieces.
- Leopard print underwear and sleepwear sets.
- Ready-to-wear pieces that cost significantly more than your average pair of leggings, with prices topping out around $700.
Dealing with the Criticism
Not everyone was clapping. Many fashion critics pointed out the irony of the partnership given the brand's past comments. Some called it a "disingenuous cash grab." Others argued that by aligning with Kim, the brand was essentially admitting that "influence" matters more than "heritage" in the 2020s.
There’s also the "Kanye factor." For a decade, Kanye West was Kim’s fashion filter. He threw out her old clothes and told her what to wear. This partnership was her declaring independence. She was no longer just a muse; she was a "curator." Whether the clothes were "new" or just old hits remixed, the sales figures showed that the public didn't care about the lack of original design. They wanted the Kim-approved Italian fantasy.
What You Should Take Away
If you're looking to understand the impact of this duo, it's not about the clothes. It's about how luxury brands survive today. They don't do it through exclusivity anymore; they do it through total cultural saturation.
What to do with this info:
- Look for the tags: If you’re buying vintage D&G, look for those 1990s/early 2000s labels. The "Kim effect" has made those specific years skyrocket in resale value on sites like The RealReal or Vestiaire Collective.
- Size matters: Unlike the runway samples Kim struggled to walk in, the SKIMS collab actually focused on inclusivity, ranging from XXS to 4X. If you like the aesthetic but hate the "sample size" culture, the collab is your best bet.
- Watch the archives: This partnership proved that "newness" is overrated. Brands are increasingly looking at their past to sell to the future.
The story of Dolce and Gabbana and Kim Kardashian is far from over. As of early 2026, Kim is still frequently spotted in custom archival looks, and rumors of a permanent "consultant" role continue to swirl. It's a reminder that in fashion, today's "cheap" is tomorrow's "chic"—as long as you have the right curator.