When we think about the Kardashians, 'success' is the first word that comes to mind. The beautiful and ultra-famous people have built a billion-dollar empire and turned themselves into some of the world's most notable celebrities. They made it on TV with their highly-successful reality-show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and they made it online by practically inventing the idea of an 'Instagram influencer'!
And yet, not even the Kardashians could avoid getting involved in some bizarre and disastrous business ventures. While the big hits of Kim, Khloé, Kourtney, Kendall, and Kylie are well known, the family's failed projects often fall under the radar. But make no mistake: there's plenty of those to talk about! Since being a Kardashian isn't all about turning a million-dollar profit, we're going to take a look at the forgotten Kardashian businesses that resulted in nothing but disaster because most of us have made some crass mistakes now and then.
The KardashianKard
All shreds of evidence that the KardashianKard was ever a thing were erased from the Internet. Well, at least almost all of them. Sadly for the Kardashian sisters, some people still remember the disastrous idea that was the KardashianKard. A project made in collaboration with MasterCard, this Kardashian-sponsored prepaid debit card was launched in November 2010 and promptly removed from the market, following a tsunami of criticism.
With incredibly high fees and a target audience that included mostly teenagers and lesser-educated Americans, saying the KardashianKard was sketchy is putting it lightly. Critics of the horrible business venture even included George Jepsen, who was the Connecticut Attorney General at the time.
Poosh
To some fans, Kourtney is the least interesting of the Kardashians. The idea is highly arguable, but there's no denying that Kourtney works hard to try and prove everybody wrong. Her latest effort? Poosh. A brand you've probably never heard about and which was meant to be a Kardashian-sponsored response to Gwyneth Paltrow's highly-successful lifestyle brand Goop.
Even the name seems to be inspired by Paltrow's notorious business venture. But unlike Goop, Poosh never made any headlines. The project has been failing since it was launched in 2019, and Kourtney has reportedly even blamed her mother for Poosh's lack of success. You can still visit Poosh's website, though, as the brand is still up and running. But, for how long?
Arthur George's Socks
Rob Kardashian is not the most glamorous, famous, nor attractive of the Kardashians. Living in the shadow of his famous mother and sisters, the only male Kardashian is seemingly also not a very good businessman. Apparently, Rob still needs to find his vocation, after seeing his sock-selling brand Arthur George fail miserably.
In 2018, Rob was reportedly forced to sell the company to his mom; and to add to the humiliation, he was also forced to go back living with her! We guess Arthur George was never a promising company, to begin with. Selling luxury socks for $30 a pair and backed by a low-status celebrity, the company always looked like a big no-no.
The Kardashian Kollection
Do you want to dress like the Kardashians without having to spend a fortune on designer clothes? You just need to drive by the closest Sears and get yourself the latest piece from the Kardashian Kollection. The idea was actually lovely, but the execution was terrible. Mistaking 'affordable' with 'cheap,' the Kardashian Kollection was questionable, to say the least.
Quite naturally, it disappeared from Sears in 2015. But there's no reason to be sad about it. The Kardashian Kollection produced nothing but tacky outfits of questionable quality. We expected more from the K sisters.
Kendall & Kylie's Vintage T-Shirts
We know Kendall and Kylie don't like to say 'no' to a new business venture. But their highly-controversial "vintage" T-shirt line sounds like a bad idea to start with. Still, the two young superstars decided to get together to promote a collection of super-expensive T-shirts boasting their faces alongside some famous logos from classic rock groups such as KISS and The Doors.
We're talking about T-shirts costing over $100 and featuring a lot of unlicensed trademarks! Naturally, the families of artists such as Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. got very mad about the entire situation. Thousands of fans enjoyed the occasion to go online and present the Jenner sisters with a good old fashion roast.
Kylie Cosmetics' Makeup Brushes
Kylie Cosmetics is a highly-successful company, but not all its products have been well received by the fans. One, in particular, stirred a lot of debate online, mainly because it seemed to point out just how disconnected from reality Kylie Jenner seemed to be. We get it, you're a multi-millionaire, but do you really believe people are going to spend nearly $400 on a set of makeup brushes?
Yes, this is a product costing nearly $400, which is way more than the average person can afford. It's not easy to be one of the world's biggest celebrities and still try to be relatable, but the price tag on this Kylie Cosmetics' product is simply too crazy to ignore.
"Jam (Turn It Up)"
Recorded in 2010 and released in 2011, "Jam (Turn It Up)" is Kim Kardashian's first and sole music single. Admittedly one of the socialites' biggest regrets, the tune flopped entirely and resulted in nothing but an embarrassing experience for the Instagram queen.
A woman of many talents, Kim doesn't seem to have the singing or dancing skills required to be a pop idol. Still, not all things about "Jam (Turn It Up)" are that bad. All the proceedings of the song were donated to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
QuickTrim
In the world of businesses, few industries are as sketchy as the weightloss industry. But we never thought the Kardashians would want to endorse a product like this. But the QuickTrim diet product was highly promoted by the socialite sisters, who even made a special CVS public appearance to talk about it.
However, QuickTrim's projected success was nothing but a distant dream. After being analyzed by the FDA, QuickTrim was removed from the shelves and resulted in yet another lawsuit against the Kardashian sisters. After all, QuickTrim's main ingredients were laxatives and caffeine! Kim and the others have been hoping their fans forget all about this disastrous endeavor ever since.
Skechers Shape-Ups
Well, Kim is not really the one to blame for this one. She was just promoting Skechers' new product: a pair of athletic Shape-Up shoes meant to help people to lose weight and exercise their muscles. Their million-dollar premise? Buy a pair of Shape-Ups, and you'll immediately get a bottom as beautiful and as toned as Kim Kardashian's.
It seemed too good to be true because it was. After a significant Super Bowl ad was released in 2011, Skechers was forced to deal with the Federal Trade Commission, which accused the brand of false advertising. As a result, over 500,000 refunds ensued, and the company was ordered to pay a $40 million settlement. It was a business disaster, to say the least.
That Pepsi Ad
Arguably the best-known fail on our list, Kendall Jenner's banned Pepsi ad is not only a flawed business venture; it's an utter disaster. Making a blatant appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement, this Pepsi commercial showed Kendall leaving a modeling gig and casually ending a protest by waving some Pepsi to the police.
Suggesting that peace can be achieved with nothing but a can of soda, this Pepsi ad was naturally seen as highly-offensive, especially for all of those fighting hard for the social causes promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement. The backlash was intense, and it's a wonder Kendall was able to keep her celebrity status after the whole mess.
That Proactiv Ad
Perhaps Kendall needs to learn how to pick her ads a little bit better. After her Pepsi fiasco, she was involved in yet another crowd-angering piece of advertising. And this time, even Kris Jenner was involved. The whole thing started when Kris shared a teaser video online, promising that Kendall would be sharing her "most raw story." The video got a lot of attention, but, as you can guess by now, people were disappointed.
Kendall's "most raw story" was not only about having acne, but it was also part of an ad for the anti-acne brand Proactiv. It's a perfect example of fame-abusing click-baiting that made Kendall fans very, very angry.
DASH
In June 2006, the Kardashian sisters opened their first DASH boutique in Calabasas, California. You may remember DASH from the early days of Keeping Up With the Kardashians; in fact, some reports claim the reality-show was meant to work as a way of promoting the DASH brand... Well, things couldn't have turned out any more differently for the Kardashian sisters.
If their reality-show was ever a way of promoting DASH, then it failed utterly. On the other hand, the Kardashian sisters turned themselves into bonafide superstars and made millions of dollars. As for DASH... Well, it is nothing but a lost dream by now. In 2018, all DASH stores were closed after 11 years of operation.
Unbreakable Bond By Khloé & Lamar
Celebrities selling perfume. That's nothing new. It's a business venture as old as fame itself, and it usually works just fine. But when Khloé decided to produce a perfume with her ex-husband Lamar Odom, she chose a theme that now seems oddly tragic.
You see, Khloé and Lamar's "unbreakable bond" didn't last long, with the couple separating in 2016. Back then, Lamar was unfaithful to Khloé and dealing with drug addiction, so the situation was far from easy. And if there's anything that aged following Khloé and Lamar's high-profile break-up, that's this love inspired bottle of perfume!
ShoeDazzle
When Kim Kardashian helped to found ShoeDazzle, she was thinking of an affordable shoe business that could serve the interests of every shoe-maniac out there. The idea was simple: customers pay $39.99 every month and get a new pair of specially curated shoes for their closets. That's a new pair of shoes every 30 days!
But nevermind the business plan. The real fiasco about ShoeDazzle was the scandalous accusations that were made public in 2011. ShoeDazzle products were reportedly manufactured by employees working under miserable conditions in China. A Star magazine investigation concluded that many employees were underaged, did about 84 hours per week, received $1 or less per hour, in inhumane sweatshop conditions, where the temperatures could reach 100 degrees.
Rebels: City of Indra
A Kylie and Kendall book? Sign us up, because it sounds like a great idea! But the first writing venture of the Jenner sisters wasn't exactly what we expected. Instead of making a biographical book, the two celebrities decided to release a dystopian sci-fi novel in collaboration with the ghostwriter Maya Sloan.
The story wasn't as bad as one might assume. Still, the book got some pretty awful reviews, including an average of 1.7 out of 5 on Amazon. It told the story of twin sisters who met for the first time after living for years in separate worlds. The book wasn't a huge fiasco, and there was a 2016 sequel, but this one is just too weird for us to wrap our heads around.
Kylie Skin's Walnut Face Scrub
When you're as busy as Kylie Jenner, it's no wonder some of your projects will end up failing. The influencer seems to be promoting something new every other week, and even though her businesses are mainly successful, she is far from having a business portfolio as flawless as her skin.
One of Kylie's biggest failures yet? A Kylie Skin product called the Walnut Face Scrub. You see, walnut shards are known for causing micro-tears in the skin, which makes them a terrible ingredient to have in a skincare product. When Walnut Face Scrub was released, Twitter went crazy with criticism. Yet, the product is still up for sale at Kylie Skin's website.
LuMee
A company called LuMee decided to get Kim Kardashian on board to promote a smartphone case that lights up with LED lights. The product looked nice, and with Kim's support, it was ready to take over the world. But while Kim is the bonafide selfie Queen, LuMee's smartphone case has meant nothing but trouble for the socialite.
In 2013, another company making LED-lit smartphone cases decided to file a lawsuit against LuMee. The company was called Snap Light and owned the patent that was allegedly copied by the Kardashian-backed company. The result? A controversial $100 million lawsuit, which has already forced Kim to issue a statement denying that her "celebrity has contributed to or induced infringement." Ouch!
Zestra
There's a good reason why we have the expression "snake oil": because you could practically take any oil and promote it in any way you want... Kris Jenner's Zestra oils were supposed to be "clinically evaluated," but that doesn't mean they worked. Especially considering their bold premise: to intensify the pleasure of women in the bedroom.
This 2012 Kris Jenner venture was, for that reason, an "arousal oil," which might sound a bit odd. Still, Zestra oils continue to be around after over eight years, and you can still buy one of these online via the Zestra website.
California Community Church
Kim Kardashian once told Vogue magazine that, while they don't share it much, all of the Kardashians are very religious and church-going people. Still, we find it extremely odd that Kris Jenner is the co-founder of a church, which is called the California Community Church!
Despite the name, this is by no means a church for all of the community. If you'd like to attend the sermons, you'll have to pay a monthly fee of $1,000 and reportedly donate 10% of your income. We know what you're thinking: this has got to be a tax haven for the Kardashians. And while there is no real evidence of it, you could be right!
Kardashian Khaos
In November 2011, Kris Jenner gave her blessing to the opening of Kardashian Khaos, which was described as a "celebrity lifestyle boutique." Selling T-shirts, souvenirs, and other Kardashian-related products, the store could be visited in Las Vegas, at the Mirage Hotel and Casino.
Despite an initial boom, fueled mainly by the Kardashian's celebrity status, Kardashian Khaos was quickly forgotten and ended up being closed after only three years. Licensed by America's most famous family, Kardashian Khaos counted with sporadic appearances of the Kardashians themselves. But other than that, it was largely ignored by fans.
Kris, The Talk-Show
Yes, the Kardashians know a lot about TV, and the family's matriarch, Kris Jenner, is undoubtedly an expert when it comes to making it on the small screen. Yet, her 2013 talk-show on FOX was nothing but a 30-episode disaster...
Canceled after only one season, the failed talk-show is still best-remembered for its final episode, which featured a one-hour long interview with Kanye West, as well as some never-seen-before pictures of North West, Kim and Kanye's daughter. Other than that, it's a tedious and highly forgettable experience, and Kris's skills as a host were even publically criticized by Frank Cicha, a FOX senior vice-president.
Smooch
Back in the now-distant year of 2003, the Kardashians weren't even half as famous as they are today. Still, Kim and her sisters already had business-prone minds and, even though the sisters had no children of their own at the time, they opened a children's clothing boutique called Smooch.
The Kardashians being the Kardashians, Smooch sold nothing but high-end products for children. With a store in the Calabasas area, right next to their DASH boutiques, Smooch was meant to be a hit and was favorably featured in the earliest episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. In 2009, though, Smooch was closed as the Kardashians were beginning to focus on their new celebrity status.
Hype Energy Drinks
Hype Energy Drinks have been around for over 25 years now, and they were created by the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe. Highly promoted in the Formula One professional circuit, the one and only Kim Kardashian has recently advertised hype drinks. But her first American Hype Energy Drink ad was so weird people just couldn't get around it!
The ad showed Kim falling from her bike and dreaming about transforming into several different female icons, from Marie Antoinette to her own sister, Kylie Jenner! Amidst all the unexplained bizarreness involved in the ad, we guess nobody even paid attention to the energy drinks Kim was trying to sell.
The Kardashian/Jenner Apps
The Kardashians adapted quickly to the new age of technology. If they were the reality-television queens back in the day, they are now bonafide Internet celebrities with a social media empire that makes millions every year. So, why have the Kardashian/Jenner apps flopped so terribly?
To start, they were not very good. Promising to offer exclusive behind-the-scenes content, the Kardashian/Jenner apps demanded a monthly subscription from users. But users hardly got back their money's worth, since the supposedly exclusive content was not that special. Additionally, the Kardashian/Jenner sisters already release a lot of free content online every day, so is it even worth it to pay for more?
SKIMS
With the signature of Kim Kardashian, SKIMS is a brand making shape-enhancing undergarments for women of all sizes. It's a successful business venture, at least since it's been called SKIMS. Before it was given its new name, the brand was known as Kimono, a title that got Kim into all sorts of trouble.
Kimono is the name of Japan's national dress and best-known traditional garment. So, when Kim tried to take it for her new brand, Internet users, and Japanese users, in particular, got super angry at the American socialite. The move was seen as cultural appropriation, and Kim was quickly forced to change the company's title after receiving a lot of flack online.
Tria Beauty's Laser Hair Removal
What happens when a celebrity ends up being corrected by a brand that she herself is promoting? If you thought 'lawsuit,' you have the right answer! Tria Beauty was trying to sell a new product called Laser Hair Removal and decided to get Kim on board. Sadly, Kim promoted the product so enthusiastically that she ended up making up things about it.
Kim said that, after using Laser Hair Removal on her entire body, she would never have to shave again. But she was quickly dismissed by Tria Beauty, which issued a statement saying that the product shouldn't be used on the face, head, ears, or neck. The whole situation escalated when Radiancy, a Tria Beauty competitor, ended up suing Kim for false claims.
Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
It's a Kim Kardashian videogame developed by Glu Mobile, and it was actually a more successful business venture than one would assume. This role-playing videogame about getting on the Hollywood A-List has even been named the 86th best videogame of the decade by the American website, Polygon.
That's a hit! Well, not so fast. Even though Kim Kardashian: Hollywood proved to be a convincing and entertaining videogame, it did stir a lot of criticism from parents, mainly because it included many paid features that seemed designed to make children spend money and get addicted to the game.
BG5
Beach Girl 5 (BG5) has got to be one of the weirdest ventures of the Kardashians. It's a group promoted by Kris Jenner, which was featured in an early episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The band was eventually managed by Rob, who was sadly unable to turn BG5 into the next Spice Girls.
You can still find some traces of the BG5 on YouTube, but other than that, they have practically vanished from the face of the earth. The good vocal range of the BG5's lead singer has been praised, but the public complained heavily about the below-par production and songwriting. As one YouTube comment put it, "I wanna like them, but they are making this hard...".
Good American
Good American has been a reasonably successful Kardashian business venture. With the signature of Khloé, it's a brand of clothing that sells jeans specially designed for curvier women. It's a good idea, and the brand's been doing just fine since it was founded in 2016.
Yet, Khloé was not able to avoid her share of trouble. In 2017, designer Destiny Blue accused Good American of copying her designs. Khloé denied the allegations, but she ordered items from Destiny Blue in 2016, so it's likely that it inspired some Good American designs.
Dollhouse
You thought Kylie and Kendall's sci-fi novel was weird, right? We did too. But now we can see where they got the idea from. In 2011, the three original K sisters (Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney) released a joint novel called Dollhouse, which is a semi-autobiographical novel.
As you can probably guess, Dollhouse was far from being a commercial hit, and even further away from being a masterpiece. On her website, Kim described the book as a semi-fictional tale of the life of the Kardashians, ending a short synopsis with a very unliterary 'LOL.' But that's not all: the name of the novel was chosen by a fan who won a Kardashian-promoted contest and got a cameo in the book. All in all, while not bad, Dollhouse is by no means Pulitzer Prize material.