SkinnyShirt: What Happened To The Brand After Shark Tank?

New Yorker Julie Kalimian, a former marketing executive at Newsweek magazine and stay-at-home mom of four, had a staple work uniform as part of her perfect capsule wardrobe. The look included a button-up shirt beneath a sweater, often a V-neck. But as she later revealed on QVC, "I felt all bunchy and bulky" when the blouse underneath wouldn't sit flat beneath the sweater. So, she decided to fix the issue and have her tailor make a prototype of a sleeveless button-up shirt on top and a fitted camisole on the bottom. Et voila, the SkinnyShirt was born.

Though the idea was popular, Kalimian needed a cash injection to take her business to the next level, so she applied to be on "Shark Tank" and was accepted to deliver her pitch on Season 6 in 2014. Kalimian wore one of her SkinnyShirt designs for the appearance and also brought a model along to show a before-and-after example of the look. To titillate the Sharks, the model went behind a back-lit screen so her silhouette was visible as she changed into a SkinnyShirt. However, the stunt failed to impress ABC's resident investors.

SkinnyShirt founder Julie Kalimian came onto "Shark Tank" seeking a $100,000 investment in exchange for 20% of the company. She explained that the shirts retailed for between $69 and $76 each, with a manufacturing cost of $12.75 per shirt, which she estimated could go down to $9.50 per shirt if the Sharks invested in her. She divulged that from the brand's inception in 2010 through 2013, she had made roughly $500,000 in sales, which the investors liked the sound of. What didn't impress them, though, was the brand only making $50,000 in sales the year before her "Shark Tank" appearance. How did she explain the steep decline in sales?

Kalimian blamed manufacturing issues and a poor end product on the decline, which ultimately scared away most of the investors, including all of the male Sharks. Barbara Corcoran also bowed out, and Lori Greiner simply said no because she didn't like the look of the outfit. So, Kalimian, donning her SkinnyShirt, exited the stage without a deal.

Despite not getting a deal for SkinnyShirt on her "Shark Tank" appearance, the brand experienced a sales boom after the failed pitch. Moreover, founder Julie Kalimian expanded the line to include a variety of designs, such as different prints on the upper button-up part of the shirt and a children's option. Kalimian also added a "shirt tails" style that had the bottom of the blouse peeking out the bottom of the sweater. The line continued to sell on the brand's website, as well as in boutiques around the country.

In 2015, Queen Latifah gave SkinnyShirts away as a prize to all of her audience members on her eponymous talk show, and in 2016, Kalimian appeared on QVC to sell her shirts. The price had dropped, however, to $44.50, meaning that Kalimian's earnings per unit may have also dropped. By 2018, red flags were flying, as heavy discounts on merchandise began appearing, and by May of that year, the brand announced that it was folding.

Though SkinnyShirt had a few years of success following its failure to receive an investment on "Shark Tank," the brand ultimately failed. As the investors predicted, there seemed to be some manufacturing issues along with trouble fulfilling orders. It's also possible that, for many people, the look felt outdated in 2018. One Facebook user commented on the brand's page, "I love this concept and back in the 1980s, this would have been huge. Today no one is in an office or wants to dress in some neat conservative look." There's always the chance that the SkinnyShirt could've had a resurgence in recent years, as the preppy fashion trend was big in 2024 and is still having a moment, but that opportunity sadly never came to pass.

As for founder Julie Kalimian, there's no public update on what she's been doing post-SkinnyShirt, with her LinkedIn profile still listing her "present" role as the brand's founder. But like the brand Proven Skincare, who also failed after a "Shark Tank" appearance, sometimes a good idea doesn't translate to a solid money-making business.