Emma Grede is a 40-year-old black entrepreneur who co-founded Good American with Khloe Kardashian in 2016.
The brand which is a premium apparel label in the United States that promotes a healthy body ideal with a full and inclusive size range has become one of the most successful apparel launches in history, with sales reaching upwards of one million dollars on the first day.
Some background:
Grede was raised by a single mother in East London and started working a paper route (a delivery job that involves delivering newspapers or other publications to customers’ houses) at the age of 12.
She graduated from the London College of Fashion with a degree in business and started working for Quintessentially, according to Billionaires Africa.
While at Quintessentially, she was recruited by Inca Productions, one of Europe’s top producers of fashion shows and events, and began working as a producer before eventually taking over as the department’s head of endorsement and sponsorship.
Early in her career, Grede was named Managing Director of the newly formed ITB, a joint venture between Independent Talent Group and Saturday Group, that represented brands’ interests in the entertainment industry.
She was later named CEO of the ITB Group, which is active in the fields of entertainment marketing, brand development, and artist representation after the company acquired the licensing firm Brand 360 in 2010.
Grede is also a founding partner and chief product officer of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, Skims, for which her husband is CEO.
She recently became the first Black woman to be a Shark Tank investor on the popular ABC show.
Grede also co-founded the plant-based cleaning brand Safely with Kris Jenner.
She also serves as the chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, an initiative that encourages retailers to dedicate 15 per cent of their shelf space to Black-owned brands.
She is one of the world’s wealthiest Black businesswomen, with interests in both the fashion and entertainment industries.
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