Kim Kardashian is GQ's Tycoon of the Year, Talks Skims and Her Father's Enduring Influence

2023 has been another banner year for the ubiquitous celeb, and now she has another feather to stick in her cap: GQ's Tycoon of the Year. She appears in the Men of the Year issue alongside Jacob Elordi and Tom Ford, but it is Kim that graces the cover of the annual issue.

According to People, Kardashian isn't the first woman to nab the cover spot of the Men of the Year issue, following in the footsteps of Rihanna, Megan Thee Stallion, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, and Scarlett Johansson.

It's only fitting that the title of Tycoon of the Year has gone to Kardashian this year, not only because her fame (and net worth) is at an all-time high, but because her shapewear brand Skims–worth over $1 billion–just launched its first ever menswear line.

According to GQ, Kim created Skims to fill a void in the shapewear industry, one that at the time was dominated by Spanx, which were all white in color back then. Kim used to dye her Spanx in the bathtub with tea bags so that they'd match her skin tone, and she'd slice and dice them to work with whatever red-carpet outfit she was donning that day. While the Skims of today has moved far beyond shapewear into underwear, loungewear, socks, intimates, and swimwear, it all started because she saw a void that needed filling. Next year, Skims will open its first ever brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles.

While the current valuation of Skims is at around $4 billion, that number is expected to grow substantially with its new men's line and new partnership with the NBA. Speaking about Skims for men, she told GQ that men also have insecurities about their bodies "whether they talk about them or not," and that she hopes men will achieve the same boost in confidence from the line as women have. "I just wanted men to find out what all the hype is about," said Kim.

She also told GQ that her interest in men's clothing–and fashion in general–stems from her father, Robert, who died of cancer when Kim was 22 years old. "This man had style," said Kris Jenner. "He always wanted to look cool," added Kim.

In the GQ article, Kim also talks about the enduring impact her father has had on her, particularly one conversation they had in his final days where he told her: "I know you're going to be okay. It's almost like I can see ahead. I know you're going to be okay, but just take care of your siblings for me. Just make sure you take care of them."

"I took what he said to mean that I was going to be okay in life," Kim told GQ. "But it made me make decisions differently." It's likely that Robert's words to Kim helped plant the seed that would lead to her unimpeachable work ethic and quest for world domination. The rest, as they say, is history.

GQ's Men of the Year issue will be on newsstands Nov. 28. Read the full interview here.