3 min readDiarrha N’Diaye, founder of the now-closed Ami Colé, has been named Executive Vice President of Skims Beauty, leading product development, innovation, and brand strategy.This marks Skims’ official expansion into beauty and fragrance, with Kim Kardashian steering the vision alongside co-founder Jens Grede.N’Diaye brings her signature focus on inclusivity, community-driven design, and authentic representation, signaling a thoughtful new era for Skims Beauty.
Although we’re still extremely bummed the award-winning beauty brand Ami Colé shuttered at the end of September, it’s exciting to hear the brand’s founder, Diarrha N’Diaye, has just been tapped as the Executive Vice President at Skims Beauty.
That’s right, Kim Kardashian and her co-founder and CEO Jens Grede recently announced the expansion of Skims into beauty and are clearly serious about building an all-star team. N’Diaye’s new role will see her leading the charge of product development, innovation, and brand strategy across both beauty and fragrance.
“Kim will lead the vision, but we dance so beautifully together,” N’Diaye told Cosmopolitan. “I will be working to bring the products to a world where everyone feels they can relate. Fashion can feel aspirational, but for beauty we also want it to feel accessible.”
One look at N’Diaye’s resume and you can see she’s more than qualified for the gig. The first-generation Senegalese-American has worked in marketing and product development at L’Oréal Paris and Glossier. She then went on to launch her own brand, Ami Colé, in 2021 which won dozens of industry awards (including plenty of Cosmo Holy Grail Beauty Awards honors) and was sold at over 600 Sephora stores.
Until now, Skims has been a multi-billion-dollar empire built on women’s underwear, loungewear, and shapewear. But did we really think Kardashian and Grede would stop there? When KKW Beauty and SKKN by Kim didn’t quite reach the same heights, it felt inevitable that she’d circle back—and this go around, the timing (and the team) feel right. Add in the brand’s new Nike partnership, and Skims’ beauty expansion feels like the next logical, and frankly thrilling, move.
We’re eager to see the magic unfold. N’Diaye was widely praised for her inclusive shade ranges, thoughtful marketing, and outspoken advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion—exactly the kind of energy Skims Beauty needs as it finds its footing.
As for what’s next? No details yet—but N’Diaye-Mbaye is already all ears and taking notes.
“The biggest thing about finding what products people need is being a good listener. And I’ve been doing that forever. Growing up in my mom’s hair salon in Harlem, which has been there for over 40 years, it was natural,” she told Cosmo. “I heard people sharing tips, and I’d find the common denominator and find where the white space is. I’ve always held on to that. Now I’m not sitting in a hair salon. My hair salon is the internet, Reddit, and going to trade shows like Cosmoprof. I’m also walking the streets of Brooklyn and seeing what people are wearing and connecting the dots.”
That level of curiosity and community is exactly the kind of reincarnation we’re craving after Ami Colé’s untimely end. Kardashian seems to get it too, telling WWD.
“I want Skims Beauty to be a place where everyone feels represented, and there is no better person to help us do that than Diarrha.”
Agreed. Can’t wait to see what they cook up.
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Julee Wilson is Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan. Previously, Julee was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence and has held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She counts herself lucky AF that she gets to play with beauty products for a living and tell dope stories. And if you’re as obsessed with beauty as she is, make sure to follow her on Instagram for plenty of product recs, natural hair inspo, skincare testing, and Black girl magic shenanigans.