Emma Grede, a 40-year-old Black entrepreneur who has made a significant impact in the fashion industry, is one of the world’s wealthiest Black businesswomen, with interests in both the fashion and entertainment industries.
Grede, who was raised by a single mother in East London and started working a paper route at the age of 12, is the co-founder and CEO of Good American, a premium apparel label in the United States that promotes a healthy body ideal with a full and inclusive size range.
After graduating from the London College of Fashion with a degree in business, she started working for Quintessentially. While there, she caught the attention of 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.
In 2016, Grede co-founded Good American with Khloe Kardashian. The brand has become one of the most successful apparel launches in history, with sales reaching upwards of one million dollars on the first day.
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.
In addition to her work at Good American, Grede is 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 percent of their shelf space to Black-owned brands.
