If you’re a keen observer of the fashion landscape, you’ll have noticed that the ‘celebrity face’ is undergoing a quiet revolution. We’ve moved past the era of the lazy, high-glamour pout. Today, if a brand wants to capture the fractured attention of its audience, they need their ambassadors to do more than just stand there.
They need them to move.
The official reveal of the NikeSKIMS Spring ’26 collection starring Lisa of Blackpink is a great example of this new reality. However, for anyone who spent a considerable amount of time watching (and maybe participating in the TikTok dances) Katseye’s viral “Better in Denim” GAP ad on a loop, the NikeSKIMS rollout feels curiously familiar. It’s not just the synchronized dancing that looks familiar but the specific creative DNA that suggests Kim Kardashian may have been taking notes on how a niche girl group revived a legacy giant like GAP.
The Sergio Reis Blueprint
If you’re wondering why the NikeSKIMS campaign feels like it’s a high-budget sequel to a GAP ad, look no further than the director’s chair. Directed by Sergio Reis, the film features Lisa navigating a Parisian stage with a corps de ballet to a pulsing remix of Mozart’s Queen of the Night.
Now, in case you didn’t know, Reis is the same visionary behind the Troye Sivan Get Loose GAP campaign, which essentially handed the blueprint to Katseye’s creative team. By bringing Reis into the SKIMS ecosystem, Kim Kardashian wasn’t just buying into the director’s vision; she was also buying into the ‘Movement Muse’ aesthetic: a style defined by ‘The Ensemble Effect’ (placing a global icon in the center of a synchronized troupe to prove that the clothes don’t just look good; they perform).
The ‘Katseye Effect’ in a SKIMS World
Why would the world’s most successful shapewear brand borrow from a denim ad? Because Katseye and GAP cracked a code: they proved that Gen Z values technical validation.
In their 2025 ad, Katseye used a circle of love choreography to show that GAP’s low-rise denim could handle professional-grade movement. SKIMS is currently in the middle of a pivot from loungewear to high-performance activewear. To make that jump believable, they needed a dancer and not just any dancer, but Lisa—a woman whose discipline is as famous as her discography.
Critics on platforms like Reddit have already pointed out the vibrating leg work and industrial backdrops as direct echoes of the Katseye aesthetic. But while Katseye sold a street version of movement, Lisa and NikeSKIMS are selling performance luxury.
The Rift Between Fashion and Art
The centerpiece of this collab is the NikeSKIMS Rift Satin, a split-toe shoe that is essentially a pointe shoe for the pavement. By leaning into Balletcore 2.0, Kim Kardashian is making a play for the sophisticated athlete.
The collection is broken down into five material tiers, each serving a different stage of a dancer’s life:
- Matte & Stretch Knit: For the precision of rehearsal and sculpting compression.
- Ribbed Seamless: For the moisture-wicking reality of the studio with a vintage feel.
- Weightless Layers & Woven Nylon: For the off-duty grace of the modern ballerina.
This ad isn’t merely a product launch; it’s a “system of dress” intended to transition from the stage to the street. By mirroring the high-energy, synchronized format of the Katseye-GAP spot, NikeSKIMS ensures that the collection feels grounded in actual work, not just athleisure aesthetics.
Is It Inspiration or Industry Shift?
If we’re keeping it a buck, Kim Kardashian didn’t ‘copy’ Katseye in a vacuum. She recognized the shift in the air. We are officially moving away from the lazy selfie influencer and into the era of the ‘technical’ icon.
If Katseye’s GAP ad was the indie hit that proved the formula worked, Lisa’s NikeSKIMS campaign is the blockbuster that cements it as the new industry standard. Both campaigns understand that in 2026, the most valuable thing a brand can sell is the capability of the body inside it and not just the outfit.
As the NikeSKIMS collection hits the market on February 5, 2026, the industry will be watching to see if this “Rift” can perform as well at the cash register as it does in Lisa’s pirouettes. One thing to take away from all this is: Kim Kardashian has a sharp eye for what’s trending, and right now, moving like Katseye is the most profitable move in fashion.
