With the back-to-back release of two new business endeavors on top of her pregnancy announcement, September has been a big month for Kylie Jenner.
Kylie Swim and Kylie Baby join Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin in the beauty mogul’s rapidly growing portfolio. And ahead of its release on Sept. 17, anticipation was certainly high for Kylie’s first-ever swimwear line.
However, as the first customer reviews begin to roll in this week, it appears that fans have been left unimpressed by her newest venture.
In the days since the line's release, social media has become flooded by scathing reviews, with fans calling the pieces “horrendous” and “cheap.”
Kylie Swim is just horrendous….
“The quality of the Kylie Jenner Swim line is so cheap. So disappointed,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
The quality of the Kylie Jenner Swim line is so cheap. So disappointed. ☹️
Elsewhere, TikTok reviewers have shared footage of messy tailoring and sloppy stitching, pointing out loose threads and snags in their brand-new garments — with some even joking that the bathing suits were perhaps made by Kylie's 3-year-old daughter, Stormi.
Many were equally unimpressed by how see-through the swimsuits were — particularly in light of their $80 price tag — with several customer reviews on TikTok noting that the “Kylie” branding on the inside of the bathing suit could be seen right through the material.
“The Kylie tag being see-through is such an obnoxious eye roller. Kylie and the whole company is ridiculous,” one Reddit user said.
What’s more, a customer on TikTok — who was a swimwear designer herself — demonstrated how thin the material was by placing a piece of card with written text on it behind one section of the swimsuit to show that it could be seen straight through the fabric. This prompted others to question how much worse the problem would get if the swimsuits actually got wet.
“I am completely and totally disappointed that these are completely see-through,” the designer said. “I’ve seen the behind the scenes of what it takes to produce swimwear and the fact that no one caught that this is completely see-through blows my mind.”
Meanwhile, another recurrent criticism was the lack of coverage and support provided by the bathing suits, with one customer on TikTok explaining that she couldn’t try them on camera because the suit “shows everything.”
Another reviewer was forced to wear a bodysuit underneath the swimsuit because it fit so poorly.
With seemingly flimsy material and no padding or lining — and, according to one buyer, just 1.5 inches of coverage on the crotch area — it became evident to many that the designs were tailored to a small and very specific body type.
“Kylie designed these for her HER body. Not the average woman,” someone wrote on Reddit. “There’s no way I or anyone I know could fit into these without something slipping out. I really don’t understand why she would release these given how limited bodies’ could fit into them.”
Others echoed this viewpoint on Twitter, with one buyer sharing a photograph of one of the swimsuits beside the caption: “fashion these days caters only to one unrealistic body type…tell me who with a normal non surgically enhanced body can wear this.”
fashion these days caters only to one unrealistic body type…tell me who with a normal non surgically enhanced body can wear this. #kylieswim
Elsewhere, the general criticism surrounding the inclusivity and quality of the swimsuits sparked a wider conversation about how the standards of the Kylie Swim products reflect her "integrity" as a billionaire business owner.
“For me, it comes down to lack of integrity as a business owner and an entrepreneur,” the disappointed swimwear designer on TikTok said. “When you’re putting something out, you want people who are spending their hard-earned money on it to be a good, high-quality product — and the fact that they gave this the thumbs up is really concerning to me.”
In a similar line of commentary, one critic on Reddit suggested that the poor quality of Kylie Swim reflects careless manufacturing standards and a disregard for the customer experience. They went on to compare Kylie’s products and entrepreneurial qualities to those of her sister, Kim Kardashian.
“Kylie is a billionaire and she didn’t get that way making quality products and paying everyone a fair wage,” the critic began. “She’s clearly cut corners and these are made in factories where the workers are paid pennies and they use cheap easy to produce material.”
“Say what you want about Kim, but at least Skims is high quality and something Kim actually likes and wants to make a product that works for customers,” she went on.
The poor quality also felt particularly surprising to some considering Kylie’s personal wealth and the size of her company, with one Twitter user writing: “I don’t understand how you can be so cheap with manufacturing costs as a billionaire.”
I don’t understand how you can be so cheap with manufacturing costs as a billionaire lmfao why put out trash? so it can sell initially bc of your name and then flop bc everybody on YouTube say it’s garbage 😭 that’s so pointless to me. But then again I’m not a wealth hoarder
In light of this, many were quick to highlight that the power of Kylie’s name and status will triumph in generating interest and demand for her products, even if the quality is subpar. One Twitter user went on to suggest that Kylie abuses her brand by adding “mediocre” lines to her portfolio for financial gain.
“I sincerely feel like she uses her status/name to make a massive profit on really just mediocre products,” they said. “Her skincare was awful imo, her swim line is so poorly made and cheap, idk that’s just me. Feels like such a cash grab and she knows people will buy it bc she’s Kylie Jenner.”
@Jaclynhill @KylieJenner I sincerely feel like she uses her status/name to make a massive profit on really just mediocre products. Her skincare was awful imo, her swim line is so poorly made and cheap, idk that’s just me. Feels like such a cash grab and she knows people will buy it bc she’s Kylie Jenner
“I personally just feel like she's slapping her name on things without actually being passionate about a certain thing,” another agreed, questioning Kylie’s motives. “Makeup I can see. Skin care, swimsuits and now baby stuff? Seems like a cash grab and I actually LIKE her.”
@Jaclynhill @KylieJenner I personally just feel like she's slapping her name on things without actually being passionate about a certain thing. Makeup I can see. Skin care, swim suites and now baby stuff? Seems like a cash grab and I actually LIKE her.
Taking into consideration how poorly Kylie Swim has been received by fans, it will be interesting to see if she will take notes and amend the issues in any subsequent releases.
In light of the backlash, some have taken a second to question the lasting impact it might have on Kylie’s reputation.
“I feel like swimsuits are soo much easier to tell their shitty quality than makeup/skincare products,” someone wrote. “Wonder if this will tarnish her brand the way other products haven’t.”
