As a fashion editor, I wore Kim Kardashian’s controversial faux nipple bra to the office and this is how it went

In the viral fashion stakes, this was the fortnight in which Kim Kardashian introduced the Skims ”ultimate nipple push-up bra,” promising “perfect fullness with a built-in faux nipple for shock factor”. And, shock she did. The launch video – scripted by Late Night comedian Michelle Wolf, and framed as a tongue-in-cheek climate science lesson – proclaimed that “unlike the icebergs, these [faux nipples] aren’t going anywhere”. Many social media users thought they’d been punked. One comment, asking, “Is this a joke??? Please tell me it’s a joke!!” has attracted more than 36,000 likes.

Mixed opinions

The approach caused consternation among environmental campaigners on account of both the video’s tone and the bra’s composition (Skims uses virgin polyester, a non-biodegradable plastic). Kim Kardashian pointed to her investment in carbon removal, and that “Skims is proud to donate 10 per cent of sales from our Ultimate Nipple Bra, as a one-time donation, to @1percentftp – a global network with thousands of businesses and environmental organisations working together to support people and the planet.” Amid the blowback, there was praise, and crucial visibility: “As a breast cancer [survivor] I thank you so much!!!! I’m actually crying [right now],” one Instagram user wrote in a comment that was co-signed by more than 17,300 others.

The heated conversation has, as it tends to in the Kardashian realm, only heightened curiosity. How big are the faux nipples? What is it like to wear the bra in the wild? Do we want perpetually erect faux nipples? And finally, when my editor asked if I would try it (I have after all, test driven a pair of bejeweled knickers on the Tube), what’s my word count?

Let’s start with fashion’s modern love affair with visible nipples. In 2023, our wardrobes are a testament to the influence of genderless, chest-framing tank tops, the mainstream adoption of “naked dressing”, and the popularity of bralessness during the pandemic – all of which have shifted social norms around how we expose our body through the clothes we wear. I regularly go braless. When I do wear a bra, it’s likely a stretchy, pseudo-sporty crop top, which explains why I didn’t know my exact bra size when I first wrote to the Skims team to enquire if there was a sample of the nipple bra in London (turns out I’m 32B), and why I was braless when the package finally arrived at my front door between two deadline-prompted Deliveroos.