SKIMS Beauty Just Announced Senegalese Diarrha N’Diaye as its New Executive VP

The shapewear and beauty brand, Skims, founded by Kim Kardashian, has announced a major change in direction: it has appointed Diarrha N’Diaye (also known as Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye) as Executive Vice President of its Beauty & Fragrance line, effective immediately.

In this role, she will lead product development and brand strategy as Skims structures its upcoming beauty business. N’Diaye came to this new role following her tenure launching the inclusive makeup brand Ami Colé in 2021, which she earlier this year announced would wind down operations.

The appointment signals Skims’ serious intent to expand beyond apparel and into a full-fledged beauty offering.

Kim Kardashian’s statement, according to WWD, underscores the significance of the move: “I want Skims Beauty to be a place where everyone feels represented, and there was no better person to help us do that than Diarrha.”

Thé entrepreneur praised N’Diaye’s approach, noting that “[She] has an incomparable talent at marrying the emotional and tactical sides of beauty, and her instincts and experience for innovation and authenticity will power our brand.”

The company, led by CEO/co-founder Jens Grede, highlighted that “Diarrha’s modern and community-forward view on beauty aligns perfectly with the ambitions of Skims Beauty. Her entrepreneurial background and ability to determine customers’ untapped beauty needs will be instrumental in driving forward our business.”

N’Diaye’s background brings meaningful context to the appointment. She spent time working at major beauty companies, including Glossier and L’Oréal, which helped build her product and brand strategy credentials.

Diarrha’s founding of Ami Colé focused on inclusivity, delivering formulas and tone-of-voice addressing melanin-rich skin, and building community around authentic beauty experiences. Now she steps into a role that gives her scale and reach within a major global brand.

For Skims, this is more than adding another executive: it sets a tone. The brand built its reputation on body inclusivity, comfort-driven basics, and a strong social media presence. Expanding into beauty with someone who understands underserved consumers, inclusive formulation, and a community-first mindset suggests that Skims plans to make a serious entry into beauty, not simply a celebrity-branded spin-off.

The fact that N’Diaye is Senegalese-American (bringing African heritage and international perspective) adds cultural weight to the representation aspect of the announcement.

From a market perspective, the challenge is real. Beauty is crowded, product development is costly, and consumer demands for transparency, performance, and inclusivity are high.

Skims must leverage its brand equity, distribution strength, and social channel reach while avoiding pitfalls many celebrity beauty lines face (such as being seen as novelty rather than substance). With N’Diaye’s track record, there is reason for optimism that Skims Beauty could stand out.

Consumers and industry watchers should watch closely the rollout: which categories Skims enters first (makeup, haircare, and more), what price-points, how inclusive the shade ranges are, and how well the brand communicates authenticity rather than just marketing. The shift also has broader implications: it highlights how leadership matters in beauty, not just product, but perspective, culture, and community.

For African and diasporic women, the appointment is significant. Having a person of Senegalese heritage in a senior beauty leadership role at a major global brand helps change narratives about who holds power and who decides what products get made. It may inspire more entrepreneurs and signal to legacy beauty players the importance of diverse leadership beyond token gestures.

Finally, for Skims, the moment is a pivot. It started with shapewear and loungewear, leveraged social momentum and strong branding; now it aims to become a holistic lifestyle and beauty brand.

With Diarrha N’Diaye at the helm of what might be its most ambitious launch yet, the beauty industry may be witnessing one of the most interesting brand evolutions of the year.

Photo: Instagram/diarrhaxo