This week, Kim Kardashian spoke at Harvard Business School — and her framing of the whole thing was… interesting.
“Yesterday I spoke at Harvard Business School for a class called HBS Moving Beyond DTC. The class assignment was to learn about SKIMS, so my partner Jens and I talked about our marketing, our challenges and our biggest wins,” she began, with her photos in front of the school.
“I’m so proud of Skims, and the thought of it being a Harvard course is just crazy!!!” she continued, adding “#BucketListDream” on Instagram.
I am so proud of Skims and the thought of it being a course studied at Harvard is crazy!!! https://t.co/P252oWJvDO
According to one professor, she told the students“It seemed so simple, but if there’s a product that doesn’t exist that fills a missing void, how can you not be successful?”
However, Kim’s claim that there is a “Harvard course” on SKIMS is not entirely accurate. “HBS Moving Beyond DTC” is not a typical MBA class — it’s one of the “Short Intensive Programs” the school offers to first- and second-year MBA students before the start of the spring semester. Basically, they are “no credit, no fee” electives that last four days.
Indeed, the 2021 version had 23 classes over four days, “led by a key DTC executive/investor/advisor.” 2021 also saw some famous faces — like Tracee Ellis Ross, Julianne Hough and Kevin O’Leary. This year’s version also featured Momofuku’s David Chang speak.
According to People, her appearance will appear in the upcoming season The Kardashians. This is in line with what Kim has previously tried to assert about her work ethic on the show, for example when she said: “All the big banks and VCs – they all say: Apple, Nike, SKIMS. Like, we’re in that conversation, and that makes me really proud.”
Of course, being invited to speak at Harvard in any capacity is a big deal! But to be clear: there is no Harvard MBA SKIMS course.