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Kim Kardashian convinced Tyra Banks to come out of retirement for SKIMS shoot

Tyra Banks retired from modeling, focusing her career on television.


Senior Writer
APRIL 7, 2022 2:52 PM EDT

Tyra Banks is one of the world’s most famous models. She was featured in the cover of Sports Illustrated and more, shifting perceptions on the types of bodies that were featured in covers. In the 2000’s she shifted the trajectory of her career, becoming a fulltime TV host and personality, known for her appearances in programs like “America’s Top Model,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and more. Still, she returned to modeling for a special occasion: A SKIMS campaign.

The latest SKIMS campaign recruited some of the most famous legendary models, including Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel.

Kim Kardashian spoke to the Today Show and discussed how she convinced Banks to be a part of her project. “We just had an honest heart-to-heart conversation, and she got to hear what the brand stands for, why I started the brand — and I’m just all about supporting women,” she said. Banks said that that conversation helped her feel comfortable in her own skin and back in front of the camera. “(Kim) helped me to step into my own, I guess, power and influence as an icon in the modeling industry,“ she said. ”Then she talked about that — I was a role model for her back in the day, which really touched me. And she said when I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she hadn’t seen boobs that were real and big and curves. And she said that gave her self-esteem for her body.“

Over social media, Kim explained that she wasn’t supposed to appear in the new SKIMS photoshoot but she simply couldn’t resist when she saw all of the iconic models that were present.

SKIMS’ new campaign is called “Icons,” due to the fact that it features some of the greatest models to ever grace the fashion industry. The brand’s bras, bralettes, and underwear celebrate all types of bodies, belonging to women of every color, size and age.