Wearing only one fashion house’s designs at a time and bringing notoriety to the brand that it would not have gotten otherwise without Kardashian’s exposure to millions of fans on social media. Balenciaga is the most recent brand that the billionaire has endorsed.
The fashion house has had several creative directors over the years. Demna Gvasalia, the most recent, is known for his sh.ocking and sometimes controversial runway designs. But the silhouettes created by Balenciaga so many decades ago remain at the heart of his designs.
As a result, it’s no surprise that Kardashian has become the fashion house’s latest muse. Given her daring attire, the two appear to be an ideal match. Of course, it’s a paid gig for Kim; here’s how much she’s made from the brand.
Kim Kardashian’s Role at Balenciaga Is Broad
While Kardashian has become the brand’s face, her official title is brand ambassador. A title that most successful social media influencers have to some extent.
However, in the case of the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, her ambassadorships are with large corporations that pay well. And at Balenciaga, that includes being a print and runway model.
Given her recent affinity for Balenciaga, it’s no surprise that Kardashian became an ambassador for the brand.
Kardashian was an obvious choice for the fashion house to approach to bring publicity to the brand, referring to it as her “Balenciaga era”. A role that might not have happened for the Skims founder had her ex-husband, Kanye West, not already had a personal and professional relationship with Balenciaga, agreeing to a now-defunct collaboration with the brand.
Kardashian’s love for Balenciaga became an obsession after she signed a contract to be a brand ambassador earlier this year.
And many of the public fashion choices were from the brand, with the caution tape catsuit being an early choice. That makes her an ideal ambassador.
Kim Kardashian Resurrected Balenciaga
When Gvasalia was hired as creative director, it marked the beginning of a shift in Balenciaga that Millennials desired to be a part of.
While Josephus Thimister revitalized Balenciaga as a brand in the late 1990s, returning the fashion house to its luxury couture status it had enjoyed for many years, and Alexander Wang made the brand “youthful, edgy, and wearable yet still eminently stylish” in 2012, it was not until Gvasalia that the younger generations paid attention.
And it is the younger generations who have propelled the fashion house to the top of the luxury fashion industry.
Kardashian is also responsible for some of this revitalization.
This is because, with 334 million Instagram followers, the former Kimoji’s owner has been able to influence a large population that may have never been introduced to the new look of Balenciaga. And as a result of Kardashian and Balenciaga’s relationship, both win.
According to the Lyst Index Q3 report, the KKW founder remains relevant as a “fashion icon,” and the fashion house jumped from fifth to first place.
Neither Kardashian nor Balenciaga were unaware of what the other could do for them. As a result, the fashion house and the entrepreneur have a mutually beneficial relationship.
Kim Kardashian’s Salary for Her Partnership With Balenciaga
Being such a prominent fixture for the Balenciaga brand implies a sizable payday. Neither the fashion house nor Kardashian have reve.aled the exact amount. However, based on the mother of four’s net worth, it is possible to estimate how much the brand is paying for Kardashian’s exposure.
According to the most recent estimates, Kardashian’s net worth is around $1.8 billion. While the majority of that net worth comes from being a 35 percent owner of Skims, selling 20 percent of KKW Beauty to Coty, and The Kardashians’ contract with Hulu, there is also money Kardashian gets paid for her Instagram posts, which can be substantial.
Kardashian’s net worth was estimated to be $1 billion last year. That means she increased her net worth by $800 million in a year.
Some of that will go toward the “sale to Coty for $200 million.” Skims sales range from $275 million to $450 million, with the brand worth $3.2 billion. The Kardashians earn slightly less than $17 million. Not to mention that Instagram influencing can earn up to $1 million per post.
Although it is unknown how many Instagram posts Kardashian was paid for this year, her other businesses netted her somewhere between $400 and $500 million.
That leaves a lot of money from the $800 million earned between 2021 and 2022. Some of it is likely to come from investments and positions in smaller businesses. However, a portion of this is most likely paid for by Balenciaga in exchange for the exposure.
The announcement of the Kardashian-Balenciaga collaboration alone generated $1 million in media impact value. In April, the entire campaign “earned $2.43 million.” Kardashian’s black face shield, which she wore in July, was worth nearly $935,000.
While the terms of Balenciaga and Kardashian’s contract are unknown, it is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.