The Revival of King Kylie: Why Kylie Jenner is Still the Marketing Queen
Picture it: 2015. “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” is blasting from every speaker, hoverboards are at the top of everyone’s Christmas lists, and Kylie Jenner has officially entered her most iconic era: King Kylie.
At just 17, Kylie Jenner was the “it girl.” With her ever-changing neon hair, perfectly overlined lips, and her famous relationship with 25-year-old rapper Tyga (aka “King Gold Chain”), she was the internet’s obsession. Her instagram handle, @KingKylie, said it all. Amidst her booming popularity, she followed in her sisters’ entrepreneurial footsteps and launched Kylie Cosmetics, recognizable for its iconic lip kits. To promote the drop, she starred in a product video set to “3 Strikes” by Terror Jr, rocking a Louis Vuitton bandana and cruising in a car with the license plate “KNGKYLIE.” Fans even speculated she was the mystery vocalist (spoiler: she wasn’t). By 21, she had been crowned the world’s youngest billionaire by Forbes. Kylie Jenner was that girl.
Fast-forward to the 2020s. The Kardashian-Jenners are still pop culture royalty, but Kylie? She’s traded her teal hair and Snapchat filters for quiet luxury and mom life. For a while, it felt like the King Kylie era was gone forever.
Then, in true marketing mastermind fashion, Kylie did what only a Kardashian-Jenner could do—she brought it back.
In 2022, she tweeted, “If I just so happen to do a King Kylie collection, what products would you like to see?” Fans lost their minds, flooding her mentions with ideas: throwback packaging, bold hair-inspired palettes, OG lip kits. Then…radio silence. We all moved on.
Until October 11th, when Kylie broke the internet (again) announcing the King Kylie Collection, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Kylie Cosmetics. You truly do not get more iconic than that. Finally, everybody is talking about Kylie Jenner again.
As someone who still swears by her glosses, I hadn’t thought about buying more Kylie products—until now. The packaging? Straight from 2015. The eyeshadow palette? Styled like her old “KNGKYLIE” license plate, complete with shades inspired by her hair colors. The boxes? Covered in iconic King Kylie era selfies.
And the best part? Not only did she release makeup products, she also dropped a song with Terror Jr. called “Fourth Strike,” and yes, she’s actually singing.
Kylie Jenner has made 2015 cool again. By tapping into our collective nostalgia and bringing back the confidence, color, and chaos of her most iconic era, she’s proven that her crown never really slipped.
