Kardashian’s Skims Issues Refunds for $148 Advent Calendar After Backlash

Los Angeles (GNP): Skims, the clothing brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, is offering refunds on its $148 (about £110) accessories advent calendar after a wave of online criticism. The company says it has contacted every customer who bought the product.

A Skims spokesperson said the calendar “didn’t meet expectations” for some buyers. Each customer is being offered either a full refund or a credit toward other products.

The calendar promised “twelve days of fun surprises,” and shoppers expected that to justify the price. Instead, the contents included hair ties, logo hair clips, a squishy ornament and several keychains, among them a tartan teddy bear, a comb and a furry compact mirror.

Social media users quickly turned that disappointment into jokes. One TikTok account compared the items to things its cat collects around the house. Another said the contents looked like leftovers from a bedside table. Others filmed themselves cleaning out their own sofas and claimed they had accidentally made the Skims calendar.

The reaction carries weight because Skims is no small start-up. Kardashian co-founded the shapewear and clothing business in 2019, and it was valued at $5 billion in 2025 when it raised millions of dollars in new funding.

Market researchers say the backlash fits a wider pattern. Kate Vlietstra, senior director of food and drink at Mintel, linked it to the trend of unboxing videos on social media. In her view, buyers who feel they have not received the value they hoped for are likely to say so publicly.

Also Read: Pakistani Students Triumph at Sichuan Agricultural University Festival

Price expectations also matter. Helen Wing, head of innovation at Ipsos, said advent calendars remain popular, although the buzz around them has faded a little. She said Ipsos research shows people will pay more, provided the contents justify the cost.

She pointed to the £285 advent calendar sold by Liberty as an example. The department store is open about its value, stating that the contents are worth more than £1,000, which gives buyers confidence at the point of purchase.

For Skims, the refund offer is an attempt to settle the dispute with customers quickly. For the wider market, the episode is a reminder that a high price tag invites close scrutiny.

Vlietstra said, “there is going to be a backlash.”