Growing up in an affluent Los Angeles family, Kardashian received a car for her sixteenth birthday. Unlike her friends, however, Kardashian found herself cut off by her parents at age eighteen, as they wanted to instill a work ethic in their daughter. Kardashian befriended such socialites as Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, and Nicole Richie. Later on, these friends would also become some of her top clients when she founded the upscale Calabasas fashion boutique "Dash," along with her sisters, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe. Prior to opening her own store, Kardashian sold some of her top designer duds on e-bay.

In 2004, twenty-three-year-old Kardashian divorced from her husband, R&B producer, Damon Thomas. Much of Kardashian’s post-divorce romances with high-profile celebrities would prove to place her in the headlines, including relationships with Diddy, The Game, and Nick Lachey, shortly following his 2005 split from Jessica Simpson.