Kim Kardashian covers the latest issue of WSJ. Magazine to talk about her latest business, her underwear/shapewear line which used to be called Kimono. When Kim announced the name a few weeks ago, she was widely criticized for appropriating a Japanese word for her dumb underwear line. Soon after, Kim apologized and announced that she would change the name. I guess this WSJ. Magazine was conducted soon after that announcement. You can read the full WSJ. Mag piece here, but it’s paywalled. Since I’m not giving any Murdoch-owned outlet my money, I’m just going with People Magazine’s excerpts:
Innocent intentions: Kim is calling the decision to name her shapewear brand Kimono “innocent” – “You would think we would have obviously thought it through a little bit deeper,” Kardashian West told WSJ. Magazine after facing accusations of cultural appropriation for naming the forthcoming brand after a traditional Japanese clothing item. “I’m the first person to say, ‘Okay, of course, I can’t believe we didn’t think of this.’ I obviously had really innocent intentions. But, let’s listen. And I want to really listen. And I want to really take it all in.”
She loves Japan: She loves Japan, noting that husband Kanye West “was in Japan when all of this was happening. It’s a place that we love and go to. I have such respect.”
How there are other kimono-named brands which are trademarked: WSJ. Magazine noted that there are other products trademarked in the U.S. with the word kimono, but Kardashian West said that “There might be more eyes on me and my brand. And so I have to tune it out and really learn and really grow and have to realize that maybe there is a different standard. Do I feel held to a higher standard? I’ll take responsibility for that and do the right thing,” she said. As for what the new name will be? “We’re figuring it all out now,” Kardashian West shared.
“You would think we would have obviously thought it through a little bit deeper…” Well, yeah, we would think that except we’re so used to the Kardashian-Jenner family’s cultural appropriation that it’s basically fait accompli at this point. It’s not so much that Kim didn’t think deeply enough about calling her underwear line “Kimono,” it’s that she did think of it and thought she could get away with it. But as I also said, at least she came out and apologized and she’s changing the name. Whatever.
"I obviously had really innocent intentions. But, let’s listen. And I want to really listen. And I want to really take it all in.” We talked to @KimKardashian about her new shapewear line and why she's changing its name: https://t.co/hQamovzs8Q pic.twitter.com/DubAOurFnq
— WSJ. Magazine (@WSJMag) July 8, 2019
Cover and photo courtesy of WSJ. Magazine.
I firmly believe they DIDN’T think of it or if they did they honestly didn’t think it was a big deal. I agree with her actually that it blew up like this because it’s Kim Kardashian and people just LOVE coming after her. Sure, in this case it is entirely justified but that only makes it more fun for people to take out the pitchforks.
Watch her line be renamed and sell out regardless.
Her line will do extremely well. People have been trying to destroy the Kardashians for several years now. They have found a way to turn all of that negativity into massive success. I don’t know how they did it, but they have managed to promote themselves as a powerful family.
Yup. Just as trump is president and now has a powerful family. Having power, wealth or fame is not necessarily borne from something positive. More often than not, it comes from cheating, lying, and taking advantage of other people – just like in the case of trump and the kardashians.
Well, prior to all of this press about it, I was completely unaware of the launch of KKW’s shapewear line.
Negative press is still press…and Kris Jenner knows all about that!
Exactly!! All free marketing!
Yep, she knew. She and her family have been criticized enough times over the years for cultural appropriation to know that this would get a reaction. She just may not have expected as much of a response as she got, or may not have expected people from Japan to respond.
Call me krazy, but she knew what she was doing. She manufactures outrage by picking Kimono, then gets all kinds of free, easy publicity when she changes the name. I’m not buying her, “I’m so innocent, I clearly did not think of this!”
I’ve said the same thing. This feels like a publicity stunt. Look at Gucci, Nike, and several other brands that used controversy to sell products. People were outraged, but the brands ended up increasing profits.
Of course she did. She lies like she breathes.
It’s been sort of confirmed it was. The trademark for the “new” name was filed weeks before her team tried to file “kimono”.
OMG, stop LYING.
You did not have innocent intentions. You knew exactly what you were doing, you knew the controversy it would attract and all the free publicity it would get you and congratulations, it worked.
I can’t believe people keep falling for this wide eyed “gosh, I didn’t know but I’m always learning” BS line they all keep trotting out. These tricks plan out every detail of every action for maximum attention and publicity. They respect nothing but their own bloated sense of entitlement.
Thank you.
Who the hell says the word kimono out loud and doesn’t think of an actual gd kimono? Not someone who loves and goes to Japan. And all the backpedaling plus the “others have done it but we’re better than them” nonsense. Yeah, sure, Kim. 🙄 You knew the word already had an established cultural affiliation and you didn’t care until it was potentially going to impact your bank account. Full stop.
There’s nothing innocent about Kim-nothing.
This sounds like a publicity stunt. It’s like trying to trade mark the words: shirt, jacket, top, coat. You can’t and I’m sure Kim knew it. She expected the backlash and now she will “kindly” listen to the Japanese people and name it something else after getting universal publicity for this new line.
I truly hopes it backfires and everyone avoids buying any of her stuff. Trade marking another culture’s words is beyond cultural appropriation. It’s acting like you own the rights to the Japanese language.
Obviously the whole mess was a deliberate publicity stunt.
And now, obviously, there will be more attention and press when she announces the new name.
If she’s still thinking of the new name, does that mean I have time to trademark Kim’s Kompression Kouture?
Tagline: You’ll look krazy good while kutting off your cirKulation!
She knew exactly what she was doing she just didn’t care. She’s a narcissist like her husband. That whole group of grifters are so used to cultural appropriation that this was just one more thing they thought they could just get away with.
She doesn’t know what the word obviously means.
Obviously not!
Pretty much everything she does almost that we hear about is a publicity stunt. Didn’t she just take the Baby Bar? Wonder how that went.
She was in New York when the baby bar was administrated in California so she either didn’t take it or she got special privilege 😏…maybe taking it at a ‘special’ testing facility….a la rick singer.
haha, awesome!
She’s full of sh*t. She had the name “Solutionwear” trademarked back in April (according to TMZ). This Kimono “mistake” was a marketing ploy…how dumb does she think people are?
Needs a new name. Easy…Kontour.!
Or Kurve!!!
If I didn’t know this woman I’d say she was of African or Caribbean descent. Cultural appropriation to the point of body dysmorphia is really puzzling.
Everything about these people is business but especially their bodies and their children’s (from Pimp Mama Kris to the last born K-West).
Yeah, she’s lying. This family does literally nothing else than vapid surgery shopping and self-selling.
Any news yet on the results of her baby bar exam?
I honestly don’t know when she studies. She’s always at a party or travelling or on vacation. Plus she has 4 kids ! I really believe she’s being fed the questions/answers and is just memorizing the bare minimum to pass. She has all the inside scoop and A LOT of help. If she passes the baby bar, it will be all over the internet. If she doesn’t pass, there won’t be any mention of it.
Results of exam come out in November but she was in New York on day of Ça exam.
omg her face.
In that first picture she looks like Kourtney. Maybe their master plan is to morph into a different sister on a regular basis. Khloe has already started her metamorphosis.
Wow… new face.
God… I wish they could give me like $10K to pay off my debts.. Seriously. I gotta get a new gig.