Kim Kardashian graces the cover of GQ Men of the Year issue
In a rare move, Kim Kardashian has become the cover star of GQ Magazine's Men of the Year issue which was released on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
The American media personality shared the news on Instagram with the cover of the magazine wherein she's posing in a suit and tie, holding a bag of Cheetos, and licking her thumb.
"Hi! I'm the GQ Man of the Year!" the Skims founder captioned the post.
GQ specifically named Kim "Tycoon of the Year" for co-creating her shapewear company Skims, KKW Beauty & Fragrance line, and mobile game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, in addition to making a business out of TV appearances and social media mentions.
The billionaire was hailed GQ's Man of The Year alongside American rapper Travis Scott and Australian actor Jacob Elordi.
In her cover story, Kim revealed that her late dad, lawyer and entrepreneur Robert Kardashian, greatly influenced her multimillion-dollar business and the way she's been raising her kids North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
Kim started off by describing his father as someone who "always wanted to look cool." She remembered Kris as saying that Robert had style, wearing sport coats, pants, and loafers from luxury brand Gucci “almost exclusively.”
When she was 5 or 6, Kim said she’d often play in her father’s closet “with its precisely organized ties, belts, and suits.” Kim attributes her founding of the clothing brand Skims to Robert.
Skims offers shapewear, underwear, loungewear, socks, intimates, and swimwear with an “inclusive approach to sizes and hues.” It also launched a men’s line—which includes tanks, tees, and leggings—and has partnered with the National Basketball Association as its official underwear.
Apart from her knack for fashion, Kim developed her dedication to achieving her goals from her late father.
According to Kim, he didn’t believe in handouts and made her and her sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, work in his movie music company, Movie Tunes, during their teens. One of Kim’s first jobs was writing the intro and outro copy for songs.
Kim recalled Robert asking him to sign a contract “for everything.” When he gifted her a car at 16, she needed to have it washed once a week, make sure that it had enough gas, and that she didn’t run it into the ground. “I had responsibilities,” she said.
When she was working at the company, called Body, Kim wanted to start a clothing resale business on the e-commerce platform eBay. She said Robert allowed her to use his credit card for such purchases but was required to pay him off with interest quickly.
Parents’ divorce and raising her own kids
During her interview with GQ, Kim also recalled her parents’ divorce which happened when she was 9. Though they “did their best to keep their troubles from the children," Kim’s sister Kourtney said she’d “overhear things” as they were “whisper-arguing.”
Kim said she never heard any quarreling, though she recalled their parents calling for a family meeting, hoping it wasn’t about the divorce but had a bad feeling. “I did think about how my parents handled it with us. I just remember them being open,” she said.
Asked how she handles any questions her children might have about her own divorce from rapper Kanye West, she said that ultimately, “what matters is that kids feel loved and heard.”
“You want to be sensitive because they’re just kids, and it’s hard to go through no matter what age,” she said. “You have to make sure that you only go to a level that they can understand.”
She also prays with her children every night before bed. If they’re at a sleepover, they’d do it online. They also read Bible stories from the same books Robert read to her and her siblings.
Kim also intends to pass Robert’s work ethic and business sense regarding no handouts to her children.
Become a lawyer like Robert
Kim is taking up the law with the prime motivation to honor her father. She recalled Robert pulling her and Kourtney out of school “to witness a piece of history and what a trial is like.”
It was the trial of O.J. Simpson, a footballer who was accused of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Rod Goldman. Robert was Simpson’s friend and defense attorney. Simpson was controversially acquitted on both counts of murder during the “trial of the century.”
Kim said she tries to study two or three hours each day, hoping to take the bar exam late next year or early 2025. Her tutor, Chuck Shonholtz, described her as “one badass woman” who’s a “smart and sharp” student.
Living a life in honor of her father
Kim's father Robert was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July 2003 and lost his battle to the disease just two months later. He was 59 years old.
Before he passed away, Kim said Robert assured her that she's going to have a good life in the future and also asked her to take care of her siblings for him.
“I know you’re going to be okay,” she recalled him telling her. “It’s almost like I can see ahead… Just make sure you take care of them.”
Since then, Kim, who officially became a billionaire in April 2021, has been living her life in honor of her father, making her family and their ambitions her top priority.