Kim Kardashian says Kimono inventory already printed with label won’t ‘go to waste’
Reality television star Kim Kardashian delivers a speech at the White House on an initiative that looks to help former inmates land jobs out of prison.
Kim Kardashian said she’s figuring out what to do with her shapewear products that carry the Kimono label a week after announcing she would change the name of her “Solutionwear” line following an intense backlash.
The reality star told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday she and her team are brainstorming ideas on how to rework or recycle the inventory with the Kimono branding.
“Nothing will go to waste. That is my No. 1 priority,” Kardashian told the Journal about the Kimono-branded inventory.
Kardashian announced in June she will be launching a line of shapewear and lingerie under the name Kimono — but the excitement faded when she received a slew of criticism for naming the brand after a traditional Japanese clothing item.
She announced last Monday in an Instagram post that she will rename the line.
“Being an entrepreneur and my own boss has been one of the most rewarding challenges I’ve been blessed with in my life. What’s made it possible for me after all of these years has been the direct line of communication with my fans and the public. I am always listening, learning and growing - I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me,” Kardashian wrote in an Instagram post last Monday. “…My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name.”
Kardashian’s team is trying to avoid the inventory being leaked and resold on the resale market — an issue companies have faced when a product is pulled. Nike’s “Betsy Ross Flag” sneakers are selling for $1,000 or more on resale websites after the sports apparel giant nixed a planned launch last week reportedly due to criticism from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kardashian told the Journal she had “really innocent intentions” when she selected Kimono as the brand name. She added that she and her team didn’t think there would be a backlash when it came to trademarking the name of the Japanese clothing item.
“You would think we would have obviously thought it through a little bit deeper,” Kardashian said. “I’m the first person to say, OK, of course, I can’t believe we didn’t think of this. I obviously had really innocent intentions. But, let’s listen. And I want to really listen. And I want to really take it all in.”
“I do love Japan. My husband [Kanye West] was in Japan when all of this was happening. It’s a place that we love and go to. I have such respect,” Kardashian said.
#KimOhNo became a trending term on social media after Kardashian’s June 25 announcement about the new line. The backlash reached a peak when Daisaku Kadokawa, the mayor of Kyoto, Japan, wrote an open letter to Kardashian asking her to change her brand name.
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Kardashian said Monday they are still working out a new name for her shapewear and lingerie line.
“We’re figuring it all out now,” she said.