Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and apparel brand Skims is offering full refunds or store credit to every customer who bought its $148 Accessories Advent Calendar after a wave of TikTok unboxing videos mocked the contents as low-value junk.
The 12-day calendar, released around Oct. 29 as part of the brand’s 2026 Holiday Shop, promised “twelve days of fun surprises.” Instead, buyers found hair ties, satin scrunchies, bobby pins, clips, a plaid teddy-bear keychain, a squishy ornament, bra-elastic headbands, a comb keychain, a logo keychain and a faux-fur compact mirror. No clothing or core Skims apparel appeared in any of the doors.
The product sold out quickly and briefly carried a waitlist before Skims pulled it or marked it unavailable. Critics online estimated the actual retail value of the assortment at roughly $20, comparing the haul to items found down the back of a sofa, in a purse or at a dollar store.
One TikTok video from the account @wetsloppyswollen accumulated tens of millions of views as the creator opened each door with growing frustration, at one point saying the final item needed to be “made of gold” to justify the price. Influencer Kayla Ryan’s separate unboxing, which also drew more than 20 million views, labeled it “the worst advent calendar I have ever seen.” Viewers quickly coined comparisons to the “Fyre Festival of advent calendars.”
A Skims spokesperson told multiple outlets the company was “aware of the feedback” and that “for some, the calendar didn’t meet expectations.” The brand said it had personally contacted every purchaser and offered a choice of a full refund or Skims credit toward other products. Feedback “will directly shape how we approach future releases,” the statement added. Some customers reported receiving the refund-or-credit email before their calendar even arrived, according to coverage from the BBC.
The detailed contents had been listed on the Skims product page under the “Fit & Fabric” section, yet many shoppers said they missed or ignored the fine print, expecting the surprise format and premium branding to deliver more substantial items. The festive outer packaging, covered in deer, cats and bows, drew praise even from critics.
This year’s accessories version marked a clear shift. In previous seasons Skims had sold underwear-focused advent calendars, including a 25-day panty calendar in 2025 priced around $450. Customers who associate the brand with shapewear, loungewear and intimates found the pivot to trinkets jarring.
The episode arrives as Skims continues its rapid growth. Co-founded in 2019 by Kardashian and Jens Grede, the company reached a roughly $5 billion valuation in a late-2025 funding round, as reported by Reuters. Kardashian’s stake accounts for the bulk of her estimated $1.9 billion net worth. The brand has expanded far beyond its original shapewear roots into loungewear, menswear and retail stores, usually generating cultural moments and fast sell-outs.
Luxury and celebrity brands have faced similar complaints over high-priced advent calendars packed with small branded items. Chanel’s 2021 calendar drew online ridicule for its mix of stickers, magnets and mini products, as detailed in reporting from The Washington Post. Ultra-premium versions from houses such as Dior and Tiffany have carried price tags in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Skims occupies a more accessible tier, which amplified the sense of mismatched expectations for many buyers.
The company moved unusually fast. Viral unboxings peaked over the weekend; the public refund offer and statement followed within days, by Nov. 8-9. As of Nov. 10 the calendar remained unavailable on the Skims site.
