This week pop star Sabrina Carpenter – known for her tongue-in-cheek innuendo lyrics – had fans wowed as she posed up a storm in sultry snaps for a SKIMS campaign.
But many were also baffled by the 24-year-old – who has been the supporting act for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour – making the choice to collaborate with Kim Kardashian’s brand after the reality star’s notorious feud with the Midnights songstress.
And Sabrina isn’t the only one in Taylor’s celebrated girl-squad to have modelled for the brand recently.
Earlier this year, Lana Del Rey – who Taylor emotionally praised in her Grammy acceptance speech in February – teamed up with SKIMS for a Valentine’s Day campaign.
Elsewhere in November, Brittany Mahomes, known for her huddled up and enthusiastic appearances alongside the singer at Kansas City Chiefs games, also starred in a holiday-themed photoshoot for the shapewear company.
And it would seem even Taylor’s closest bestie Selena Gomez – who in 2019 was full of compliments for the brand in an Instagram Story she put up but later deleted – is a fan of the products.
SKIMS’ collaboration with the music legend’s tight-knit cohort comes amid a time when Taylor and Kim’s relationship appears to still be sour.
But speaking to FEMAIL, one branding expert said that it’s likely the campaigns – which would have been in the pipeline for months – were known to Taylor ahead of time.
Hayley Knight, co-founder and Director of Communications at BE YELLOW, explained: ‘It may seem surprising that Taylor’s besties including Lana Del Ray, Sabrina Carpenter and Brittany Mahomes have starred in individual adverts for SKIMS, and if you trawl through the hoards of TikTok videos and investigations, these campaigns have certainly ruffled the feathers of the fans, with many trying to figure out Taylor’s position in all of this.
‘Well, with revenge songs such as Bad Blood in her back catalogue, we can assume that if Taylor took issue to any of these campaigns, which first launched in November, we would have certainly heard about it by now, or at least the ripples of it.’
‘But the reality of it is, is that these campaigns would have been in the works for months, and strategised by Kris Jenner, and very possibly discussed with Taylor by her friends.’
Hayley said it’s ‘neither here nor there’ whether Kim could be trying to get closer to Taylor or extend an olive branch – ‘which could be possible’.
‘This shouldn’t overshadow the campaigns themselves, which have all been strategically executed,’ she said.
‘The campaigns are all beautifully feminine, yet feminist. All women fronting the campaigns have immense selling power, and are all relevant. It makes good business sense to use them for the brand, especially one known for its powerful collaborations and ambassadorships.
‘Also, all three are powerful, assertive, successful women in their own right, and this comes across in the adverts.
‘I can imagine Kim and Taylor recognise this and Taylor doesn’t (and shouldn’t) really have much say on them deciding to do the campaigns, beyond her opinion.
‘And I am certain she just wants to see her friends succeed in their own lanes!
‘Also, the campaigns are timely and completely inline with the individuals brand. Brittany’s family Christmas, Lana’s Hollywood Glamour Valentine’s Day and Sabrina Carpenters fun, 90s themed campaign, ahead of her Coachella performance.
‘Though we can’t argue that Kim doesn’t know what she’s doing. The campaigns have been designed around the models, not the other way round, and have been perfectly executed.
‘If she has chosen them specifically, it wouldn’t just be to get Taylor’s attention. Kim knows that by developing these campaigns, she is tapping into Taylors audience, and getting them talking and engaging with the brand.
‘And this also benefits Taylor, as after all, all PR is good PR when it comes to these situations.’
In December, Taylor slammed the reality show star for ‘taking her down psychologically’ and forcing her into hiding during their long-running feud – while subtly branding the fashion influencer and her ex-husband Kanye ‘Ye’ West as ‘trash’.
The singer, 34, who was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, dished on the dispute which started when Kim’s then-husband wrote a 2016 song to include vulgar lyrics about the rising star.
He claimed Taylor had consented to the reference but, after denying it, Kim also weighed in and released what the popstar described as ‘an illegally recorded phone call’ between the pair which she claimed proved otherwise.
Taylor admitted that the public fallout said it felt like ‘a career death,’ adding: ‘Make no mistake — my career was taken away from me.’
Discussing the aftermath and the brutal toll that it took on her wellbeing, Taylor told the outlet: ‘You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar.’
‘That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls.’
Although she didn’t elaborate on where she moved to, Swift began dating British actor Joe Alwyn in late 2016, and it was widely rumored that she had rented a home in London in order to spend more time with him.
During that period, she all but vanished from the public eye, something that she says came as a result of the Kardashian and West fallout.
‘I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.’
Most of the pop icon’s next album Reputation, released in 2017, was aimed at her experience during the ordeal.
But the abundance of snake imagery used in veiled reference to mom-of-four Kim only reignited the furore.
‘I thought that moment of backlash was going to define me negatively for the rest of my life,’ she explained.
Yet, in the years that followed, Taylor’s career has only gone from strength to strength – while many of her adversaries have suffered major setbacks, including Kanye.
The rapper, 46, recently lost a slew of endorsement deals after a series of anti-Semitic remarks.
Elaborating on how life in the limelight can be delicate, Taylor added: ‘Nothing is permanent. So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I’ve had it taken away from me before.
‘There is one thing I’ve learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art.’
However she took another swing at Kardashian, West, and anyone else who she believes has tried to stifle her success, remarking: ‘Trash takes itself out every single time.’
‘But I’ve also learned there’s no point in actively trying to quote unquote defeat your enemies,’ she said. ‘Trash takes itself out every single time.’
But while Taylor doesn’t appear to have thawed at the feud, Kim has been starring some of the singer’s nearest and dearest within months of each other in huge campaigns for her brand.
Yesterday Sabrina sent temperatures soaring as the latest celeb to model for SKIMS.
The snaps depicted the musician hanging out in her bedroom, strewn with books and decorated with celebrity posters, as she chatted with a friend on a landline phone and listened to her portable CD player.
But Swifites have been quick to slam the Feather singer for the collaboration, with some taking to social media to admit it ‘doesn’t sit right with them’ and claiming they’re ‘disappointed’ by the young star’s choice.
CSwifites have been quick to slam the Feather singer for the collaboration, with some taking to social media to admit it ‘doesn’t sit right with them’
The move from Sabrina came amid a blooming friendship between herself and Taylor, as the pair have bonded over the Eras tour.
Just last month, Sabrina reminisced about her time during it, after serving as opener for the singer’s concerts in Latin America, Australia and Singapore.
She gushed over how ‘very honored’ she felt to be a part of the experience and expressed her gratitude to Taylor in an Instagram post.
She included a throwback photo of her and Swift visiting Sydney Zoo together in Australia.
‘That’s a wrap for us on the eras tour. Sitting at home reflecting on what a whirlwind this was and how very honored I feel to have been part of it,’ she wrote.
‘I want to thank every crowd for being so welcoming and generous to us and making some of the most impressive friendship bracelets I’ve ever received.’
She went on to give ‘a huge thank you to the incredible crew for being so hardworking and talented,’ before turning her attention to the Wildest Dreams superstar by offering her ‘the most thank you’s I’ve ever thank you’ to Taylor.’
‘I feel so lucky to witness the magic that is you and this tour,’ Sabrina added in a personal shoutout to Taylor, ‘there is truly no one like you and there never will be! i love you with all my heart and i will cherish this taybrina era (and all the eras) till the end of time.’
Meanwhile, Sabrina is far from being the first of Taylor’s friends to have collaborated with the brand.
In January, Lana Del Rey, 38, donned a satin blue and lace bodysuit as she posed seductively inside a giant heart with her hands clothed in gloves and a duo of matching bows in her hair for a SKIMS shoot.
Kim is a huge fan of Lana’s song Young and Beautiful, and the track was performed by a brass brand when her now ex-husband Ye popped the question in 2013.
She even performed at Kim and Kanye’s rehearsal dinner, singing her tracks Blue Jeans, Young and Beautiful, and Summertime Sadness inside the Palace of Versailles, according to W Magazine.
Speaking with Vogue, Lana revealed her shoot with SKIMS came to be after she asked about obtaining the sold-out Swarovski dresses the brand was selling.
Coincidentally, SKIMS was also interested in working with her.
‘It was kind of a cool coincidence. I actually had asked a mutual friend [of Kim and I’s], Tracey Cunningham, if there was any way we could get one of the Swarovski [SKIMS] dresses that had sold out; At the same time, her friend Tracy Romulus asked if I’d be interested in doing a campaign. So it all happened at the exact same minute, which I took as a serendipitous sign. And I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ I didn’t really hesitate. Me and my girlfriends were pretty excited, actually.’
She also described her love for the clothing made by Kim and SKIMS: ‘Well, first of all, I just love how well it’s doing for her. And second of all, I do wear basics on most days; I like wearing the little rompers, or onesies with a big T-shirt. I’m always curious to see what they’re going to do; it’s an ever-evolving brand.
‘It started as kind of a niche brand, and I feel like it’s grown into a thing where now my sister and my best friend Margaret are wearing it. All of a sudden you’re like, “Oh, you’re wearing SKIMS too,” and you show up in the same outfit as you’re getting a coffee. It’s really kind of sweet.’
But it appeared there was no bad blood between Taylor and Lana.
At the Grammys this year, Lana’s album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd positioned the artist as a contender for the Best Alternative Music Album, which went to The Record by boygenius, and the prestigious Album of the Year award, which went to Lana’s bestie Taylor.
During her acceptance speech for Album of the Year, Taylor gave a shout-out to Lana, who cowrote and sang backup vocals for the Midnights track Snow on the Beach.
‘Lana Del Rey, who is hiding, I think so many female artists would not be where they are and would not have the inspiration they have if it weren’t for the work that she’s done,’ Taylor said.
‘I think she’s a legacy artist, a legend in her prime right now. I’m so lucky to know you and to be your friend.’
It would appear Taylor’s other friendships with stars who have modelled for SKIMS haven’t been marred either.
Both Brittany Mahomes, 28, and Ice Spice, 24, have too been in campaigns and continue to accompany the singer and her girl squad to events.
Both were present while a loved up Taylor made an appearance at this year’s Superbowl to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce.
Taylor’s feud with Kim and Kanye had been bubbling to the surface as early as 2009, seemingly out of the blue, when 19-year-old Taylor was at the MTV Video Music Awards, accepting the Best Female Video award for You Belong with Me.
Suddenly, in the middle of her acceptance speech, Kanye jumped on the stage, grabbed the microphone out of her hands and bellowed: ‘Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!’
In a bid to diffuse the tension, Beyoncé later called Taylor up on stage when she won Video of the Year for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), and allowed the country music star a moment in the spotlight.
But the tension only continued when the father-of-four humiliated the star once again at the VMAs in 2015.
It appeared the pair were getting on as Kanye joked: ‘You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award ’cause it got them more ratings?’
However, Taylor later announced that his statement truly irked her, as he made out in public that it was for ratings, but in private, asked her to be on stage with him as it would ‘mean so much.’
Taylor later told Rolling Stone: ‘I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife, and this chill ran through my body. I realized he is so two-faced.
‘That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk s**t. And I was so upset.’
By February 2016 the tensions reached an explosive boiling point after Kanye referenced Taylor in the lyrics of his hit, Famous.
Taylor took offense at the rapper’s lyric: ‘For all my South Side n****s that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b***h famous.’
The accompanying music video also depicted a naked Taylor lying in his bed next to him – along with a whole host of other celebrities – with nude Kim on the other side.
Kanye defended the line, claiming he had a conversation with Taylor about the lyrics in question ahead of time, which she denied.
Taylor continued to accuse Kanye of lying about asking her permission to reference her in his lyrics which prompted Kim to release a partial recording of the call in question.
‘I’m really glad you had the respect to call me that and tell me that as a friend, about the song. It’s just a really cool thing to do, and a really good show of friendship,’ Taylor is heard saying.
Taylor hit back by claiming that although Kanye spoke through some aspects of the lyrics, she did not consent to being referred to as a ‘b***h.’
The feud has continued to rumble on ever since – with veiled jibes being made on both sides of the divide.
However, more recently, Kim appeared to issue an update during a 2019 appearance on E! talk show alongside sisters Khloe and Kourtney.
Host Andy Cohen oversaw a game of called Squash That Beef in which the reality star dismissed the idea of any lingering tension between her and the Reputation singer.
‘Over it,’ she told Cohen of the feud.
Kim said she let time diffuse the matter, rather than hashing things out through a conversation.
Asked if the pair have spoken, she told Andy: ‘No. I feel like we’ve all moved on.’
Similarly, in 2022 Kim sat down for an interview and was asked what her favorite Taylor Swift song was, to which she responded: ‘I really like a lot of her songs. They’re all super cute and catchy. I’d have to look in my phone to get a name.’
