Emma Grede: Empowering Social Fashion from London to Shark Tank
Emma Grede is a fashion industry mogul. Emma was born in 1982 in East London, and followed a rich entrepreneurial journey from the Plaistow neighborhood, to CEO and co-founder of Good American, to guest investor in Shark Tank Season 13, Shark Tank Season 14 and Shark Tank Season 15.
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Emma Grede reshaped the fashion landscape towards inclusivity and diversity. Thanks to Good American and the collaboration with Khloé Kardashian in 2016, women of all sizes have access to high-quality, fashionable denim.
Emma Grede is also a founding partner of Skims, alongside her husband Jens Grede and Kim Kardashian. Skim focuses on conversations around body positivity, empowerment, innovation and adaptability.
Early Life and Education
Emma Grede’s success in the fashion industry started in a modest London’t neighborhood, before working her way up to become a guru and major pillar and influencer in the fashion industry.
London Roots
Emma Grede was born and raised in the Plaistow neighborhood in East London, England. Her mother, Jenny-Lee Findlay is a white English previously employed by Morgan Stanley. Her father’s name is not knownw, but we know that he has origins across is Jamaica and Trinidad. Emma also has three sisters, Charlotte, Rachelle, and Katie-Beth.
Emma had a number of odd jobs as a teenager, including delivering newspapers.
“As a kid I used to save my pocket money to buy Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire […] I was always scraping around to find £7.50 for all three. I’d cut out every advert and file them by designer.”
Emma Grede – the Evening Standard
While Emma Grede grew up in the “rougher ends” of East London, she was determined to succeed. In fact, thanks to being in a lower working-class family she learned a strong work ethic, together with the belief that anything is achievable.
Emma’s mother was a pillar in her life, teaching her the importance of having fierce confidence, a strong work ethic, drive, good manners, and loyalty.
Fashion Industry Education and Experience
She attended the London College of Fashion between 1997 and 2001, where she studied Business Management and Marketing. Emma fostered both the creative aspects of fashion, and the tricky business side of the industry, despite the challenge of being dyslexic.
Thanks to her drive and education, her first experience was an internship within the fashion empire of Gucci. Emma followed up with a position at Gharani Strok and Inca Productions, which acted as a segue for her work on the London Fashion Week.
In 2006, Emma started working as business director for Saturday Group, an agency focused on multimedia marketing. Thanks to her time here, she built priceless connections with designers such as Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood, and Zac Posen, as well establishing connections with iconic consumer brands like Chivas, Mercedes Benz, and Sky.
ITB Worldwide: Emma Grede First Step Into the C Suite
Emma’s largest leap happened in 2008 when she was only 26, and founded her own agency: ITB Worldwide. ITB that became one of the largest talent management and entertainment marketing agency in the industry. She became the Chief Executive Officer in 2010, and her vision was to bridge the gap between the worlds of fashion, celebrity, and branding.
In 2018, she was appointed chairman after Rogers & Cowan saw an opportunity and acquired ITB to expand their coverage in the fashion and entertainment industry. Yet, Emma stepped down, and she doesn’t serve as chairman anymore.
Good American: the Grede and Kardashian’s Revolution
Emma Grede and Khloé Kardashian founded Good American in 2016, and she currently owns 23% of the company. However, this goes back to around 2010ish when Emma met Kris Jenner, aka Kristen Mary Houghton, at the Paris Fashion Week. Kris was looking for potential business opportunities and was interested in Emma’s pitch of a denim brand that can fit any shape, size, or feminine body.
Kris introduced Emma to Khloé, who loved Emma’s vision of a brand that empowers women through inclusivity and positive body image. The launch of Good American was a huge success, cashing $1,000,000 on the first day!!
Good American has sizes that range from 00 to 24, with the goal of being an all-inclusive brand not limited by the everyday issues with sizes. It later expanded to include activewear, swimwear, and other apparel, while always advocating for body positivity and representation.
Skims: True Skin Colors for a Truly Genius Business Idea
Emma Grede, her husband Jens and Kim Kardashian partnered in 2019 to create Skims. Skims is a shapewear brand that embraces skin diversities and body shapes thanks to their endless choice of skin-like colors and sizes.
We are setting new standards by providing solutions for every body. From technically constructed shapewear that enhances your curves to underwear that stretches to twice its size, our goal is to consistently innovate on the past and advance our industry for the future.
Skims – About Us page
Emma acts as founding partner and founding partner and Chief Product Officer (CPO) and owns 8% of the company, driving with compassion, inclusion, and advocating for positive body image and women’s empowerment. The innovative spin of Emma, Jens and Kim’s brand earned them the Innovation Award for Skims from the Council of Fashion. Skim is now (2023) worth a whooping $4 billion dollars (with a B).
Safely: Cleaning With the Kardashians
Emma Grede and Kris Jenner co-founded Safely in 2021, owning 22% of it. Safely’s product line includes various household cleaning items like all-purpose sprays, hand sanitizers, and laundry detergents, all of which are plant-based and packaged in bright green, refillable, and reusable bottles.
While not glamorous and the other businesses, this was a brilliant move by Emma. According to the New York Times, the home cleaning products market could nearly double over the following years. This trend is likely driven by a heightened awareness of health, hygiene, and environmental issues. Safely promises to be both effective and eco-friendly, thus addressing a current social and health pain point. Moreover, they speak to environmentally conscious consumers by offering a solution to the problem of single-use plastics in the home care sector.
Shark Tank Guest Appearances
Emma Grede was the first Black woman to become a guest shark at Shark Tank. She debuted on the show in Season 13 in 2021, and made her final appearance in Season 15 in 2023, but she surely hopes to come back soon.
While some fans were not too excited to see Emma at Shark Tank, finding her a little boring, she managed to score several deals. Emma’s deals were mostly focused on empowering women with diverse background, with the potential in making an impact in a world where women entrepreneurs face unique challenges.
List of Emma Grede Shark Tank Investments
- Kin Apparel: Emma Grede and Lori Greiner invested $200,000 for 30% equity in this hair care-focused company.
- Range Beauty: Emam invested $150,000 for 20% equity in the business makin all-natural cosmetic products for darker skin tones.
- No Limbits: Emma Grede and Mark Cuban invested $100,000 for 10% equity in this adaptive apparel company
- Junobie: Emma Grede invested $100,000 for 22.5% equity in the reusable breast milk bag company
- Ooakshell: Emma invested $150,000 for 20% equity in the hairband business.
Emma Grede’s Net Worth
As of 2023 Emma topped her net worth at an astonishing $370 million. While this is just below Mr. Wonderful $400+ million empire, it is still far from Mark Cuban’s billions. Yet, Emma seems to spend a lot of her time advocating for women, and creating a positive movement in the fashion industry that can elevate body perceptions, while celebrating any shape and size.
Emma’s work in Advocacy for Women’s Success
Emma Grede’s influence extends beyond entrepreneurial success, as she actively champions initiatives that foster diversity and inclusivity.
Fifteen Percent Pledge
Emma Grede acts as chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a nonprofit movement initiated by Aurora James, aiming to support and promote Black-owned businesses. As a Black woman investor, Grede’s backing sends a strong message about the importance of economic inclusivity and the commitment to allocating meaningful resources and shelf space to Black entrepreneurs.
Body Positivity
The concept of body positivity is central to Grede’s mission. At Good American, a brand she co-founded with Khloé Kardashian, they celebrate all body types. That isn’t just a slogan, it’s at the core of their business model.
Inclusivity in Fashion
Emma Grede transforms the fashion landscape through her unyielding commitment to inclusivity. She leverages her influence to ensure that fashion is accessible and representative of diverse demographics. Her brand Good American emphasizes this principle by showcasing models of all sizes, thus promoting a fashion industry where everyone is represented.
Emma Grede Personal Life
Emma Grede’s personal life tells the story of a bustling London borough to a life in the spotlight of the fashion industry. Yet, she keeps her feet grounded, maybe thanks to her morning coffee, or perhaps because her kids keep her too busy to wonder.
The Grede’s Family
Emma Grede, while originally from London, now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jens Grede. Jens is a Swedish Entrepreneur who co-founded the Saturday Group, one of Emma’s early employers. Together, they have four children: Grey, Lola, and twins, Lake and Rafferty. Lake and Rafferty are the youngest ones and, were born on November 2, 2021.
In an interview with Variety, Emma revealed how she wakes up at 5am, roughly 15 minutes before her alarm goes off, and enjoys some coffee before tackling the day.
“I’m good if I get a good five-and-a-half hours. People always say eight hours, but I don’t know who these people are. Honestly, unless you’re a child, I don’t understand this eight hour thing. But you know, for me, it just comes in the balance — if you don’t feed me, that’s a problem.”
Emma Grede – interview with Variety
Interestingly, Emma and her husband bought Brad Pitt’s Malibu house for $45 million and a historic Bel Air mansion for $24 million.
Philanthropy
Renowned for her business acumen, Emma Grede also dedicates a significant portion of her time to philanthropic efforts. Committed to empowering women and fostering entrepreneurial spirits, her philanthropy focuses on providing opportunities and resources for underrepresented communities in both her hometown and her adopted California locale.
