Ami Colé Founder, Named to Lead Skims’ New Beauty Division
Diarrha N’Diaye, the founder of the widely celebrated Ami Colé beauty brand, has been appointed as Executive Vice President of Beauty and Fragrance at Skims. The announcement, made on November 3, 2025, marks a significant leadership move for Kim Kardashian’s multi-billion-dollar shapewear and apparel company as it officially enters the beauty and fragrance market. N’Diaye’s appointment comes just weeks after she announced the closure of Ami Colé in September 2025, citing unsustainable economic conditions.
Strategic Expansion Into Beauty: Skims’ Next Chapter
Skims has signaled its serious commitment to diversifying beyond its core shapewear business. The brand’s acquisition of SKKN by Kim—Kim Kardashian’s skincare line—from Coty Inc. in March 2025 laid the groundwork for this expansion. With N’Diaye now at the helm of Skims Beauty, the company aims to create an integrated ecosystem that connects apparel, skincare, makeup, haircare, and fragrance under one unified vision.
“My job is to figure out how we create this second-skin experience for the customer and bridge the gap from clothing to makeup, hair, and fragrance,” N’Diaye explained in a press release. This strategy directly mirrors Skims’ approach to shapewear—creating products designed to seamlessly complement the body and enhance confidence across all categories.
Kim Kardashian, cofounder and chief creative officer of Skims, expressed confidence in her new executive’s vision. “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,” Kardashian stated. “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 Rise and Fall of Ami Colé: A Cautionary Tale for Black Founders
N’Diaye launched Ami Colé in May 2021 as an inclusive beauty brand with a mission to center melanin-rich skin in product development. The brand quickly became a phenomenon, particularly within Black and Brown communities. Its viral lip oil sparked a trend that continues to influence the beauty industry, while its extensive shade ranges offered options customers couldn’t find elsewhere. At its peak, Ami Colé was stocked in over 600 Sephora stores and won numerous industry awards, including multiple Cosmo Holy Grail Beauty Awards.
“Ami Colé launched in May 2021 to a devoted, excited audience of Black and brown women who felt seen and celebrated by what we offered,
” N’Diaye wrote in a personal essay published in The Cut. “At first, the brand offered skin tints in shades they couldn’t find elsewhere and started a lip-oil craze that still carries through to this day.”
However, the economic pressures facing emerging brands caught up with Ami Colé. As N’Diaye explained, investor sentiment shifted from “betting on big inclusion” to tightening standards that made sustainability difficult. In July 2025, she announced the brand would close by September 2025. “After looking at every option, it became clear that continuing in this current market wasn’t sustainable,” N’Diaye wrote. “After nearly four beautiful, soul-stretching years, Ami Colé will close this September. This decision was so hard for me — the business bears my mother’s name and, as I built it, my daughter’s name, too.”
Impact on the Black Beauty Founder Ecosystem
Ami Colé’s closure sent shockwaves through the Black-owned beauty community, raising concerns about the sustainability of emerging Black-founded brands. Alicia Scott, founder of Range Beauty—another successful Black-owned brand generating seven figures in revenue—reflected on the broader implications. “We are trying to understand where that support is throughout the longevity of the brand,” Scott said. “There are larger conversations that need to go on, or else we’re going to see more doors shut.”
The timing of Ami Colé’s closure highlighted systemic challenges facing Black founders in beauty. While many brands receive support post-closure, emerging brands often struggle to maintain investor backing during their critical growth phases. Organizations like Glossier have attempted to address this gap through grant programs specifically supporting Black-owned beauty brands, but industry observers acknowledge that more comprehensive support systems are needed.
Diarrha N’Diaye’s Path to Skims: Experience and Vision
N’Diaye brings over 14 years of experience in brand building, product development, and marketing across global beauty companies. She held leadership positions at L’Oréal Paris and Glossier before founding Ami Colé. Her background as a first-generation Senegalese-American and her upbringing in her mother’s hair salon in Harlem—a business that has operated for over 40 years—deeply informed her approach to inclusive beauty and community-centered product development.
“I have sat on salon floors, worked eight-hour shifts at beauty retailers, started a company, and am now taking an executive seat at a beauty brand promising to bring a fresh approach to beauty,” N’Diaye told The Cut. “I have been around the block, and I’m happy to bring this vault of knowledge to Kim’s beauty closet to work on a new wave of inclusive beauty for all. The sky really is the limit, and I want every little brown girl to know that.”
N’Diaye’s philosophy on discovering customer needs reflects her community-first approach. “The biggest thing about finding what products people need is being a good listener,” she explained to Cosmopolitan. “Growing up in my mom’s hair salon in Harlem, it was natural to hear 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.”
What’s Next for Skims Beauty
With N’Diaye officially joining Skims this week, the beauty division will focus on developing an inclusive product line spanning makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance. The appointment signals that Skims intends to apply the same size and shade inclusivity principles that made its apparel line successful to the beauty category. The brand’s existing campaigns featuring Black women like Sha’Carri Richardson, Serena Williams, and Nia Long demonstrate a commitment to representation that aligns with N’Diaye’s vision.
Jens Grede, cofounder and CEO of Skims, emphasized N’Diaye’s strategic value. “Her entrepreneurial background and ability to determine customers’ untapped beauty needs will be instrumental in driving forward our business.”
A Second Act: Turning Setback Into Opportunity
N’Diaye’s transition from founder to executive represents both a personal pivot and a broader narrative about resilience in the beauty industry. Her appointment underscores the value that founders bring to established companies, even after their own ventures face closure. Skims’ willingness to invest in N’Diaye’s expertise and vision suggests that major brands are beginning to recognize the untapped potential in Black-founded beauty companies and the talented leaders behind them.
“Dare to fail forward,” N’Diaye reflected on her journey, a sentiment that will likely define her tenure at Skims as the company attempts to carve out its own identity in an increasingly crowded beauty market. With her appointment, Skims Beauty is positioned to launch with the authenticity, inclusivity, and customer-first mentality that made Ami Colé beloved by its community—and that same philosophy now has the resources and scale of a billion-dollar company behind it.
