Joining as a guest in season 14 of Shark tank, Emma Grede is a self-made businesswomen and the first black women to hold an investor position on the popular ABC show, Shark Tank.
In 2008, she established the marketing firm ITB Worldwide for fashion and entertainment.
She is also known for brands such as SKIMS, Good American and Safely.
She is also the chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a campaign that calls on stores to provide Black-owned firms 15% of their shelf space.
The Kardashian clan
Grede is a close business partner with the Kardashian-Jenner family, being the co-founder and CEO of Good American, a size-inclusive clothing line, in 2016 with Khloe Kardashian.
She is a founding partner and the chief product officer of shapewear company SKIMS, owned by Kim Kardashian where her husband is the CEO.
Along with Kris Jenner, she also co-founded the plant-based cleaning company Safely.
History and the start of the career
Born and raised in East London, England by a single mother, she started a side job when she was 12 years old and used her savings to purchase fashion magazines.
She attended the London College of Fashion to study business and left after landing an internship at Gucci.
Post that she quickly drew the attention of Inca Productions, one of Europe’s top producers of fashion shows and events.
Emma oversaw the department that handled sponsorship and endorsement deals after beginning as a producer.
She helped Inca establish the field of “designer collaborations,” which are partnerships between high fashion and consumer brands.
She did this by working with some of today’s top designers, including Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood, and Zac Posen, as well as companies like Chivas, Mercedes-Benz, and Sky.
itb
Emma was appointed managing director of the newly established Independent Talent Group and Saturday Group joint venture, ITB, which represents brands’ interests in the entertainment industry, in 2008.
She was appointed CEO of ITB Group when the company bought the licensing firm Brand 360 in 2010.
She is currently the chairman of the business, which has offices in London, New York, and Los Angeles and serves customers like H&M, Calvin Klein, and Net-a-Porter.
ITB Group is active in the fields of artist representation, brand development, and entertainment marketing.
Good American and beyond
As a co-founder she established the Good American company in 2016 with Khloe Kardashian .
It is a US-based luxury clothing brand that supports the idea of a healthy physique and offers a wide range of sizes.
Sales of upwards of $1 million on the first day of the brand’s launch in October 2016 made it the largest apparel launch in history, further demonstrating a void in the market before Good American’s entry.
Instead of the straight body found in the traditional fashion establishment, Good American has been created to serve to a curvier, sexier, and stronger type of woman.
The company backs the nonprofit Step Up, which assists young women in reaching their full potential.
Soon after collaborating with Khloe’s sister and celebrity Kim Kardashian, they launched SKIMS, a all-women type shapewear affordable by the masses.
Recently she also collaborated with Kris Jenner herself for the plant based cleaning company Safely.
Today, due to accumulating massive amount of success with so many brands, Forbes declared Emma Grede as one of the top 100 in America’s self-made woman.
Currently she has a net worth of $360 million and is happily married to Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede. the couple reside in Los angles with their four kids.
