Our starting point for Emma Grede’s history is naturally her birth. Emma Grede was born in London, England, and she was raised there by her mother. Her mother is Jenny-Lee Findlay, who is English and worked for the multinational investment management company Morgan Stanley.
Her father is a man of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent. More specifically, we know that Emma Grede was raised in the Plaistow neighborhood in East London. Grede also has three younger sisters.
Her sisters are named Katie-Beth, Rachelle, and Charlotte. Grede attended the London College of Fashion and studied business there. However, Grede dropped out of college after she got an internship with well-known fashion house Gucci.
We should also mention that Grede began her career as a producer at Inca Productions, which was an events and fashion show company. After moving on from that role, Grede founded Independent Talent Brand Worldwide. This company, also known as ITB Worldwide, was an entertainment marketing and talent management company based in London.
Rogers & Cowen, a global public relations and marketing agency, bought ITB Worldwide some time after that. At this point, Grede left ITB Worldwide, as you might expect. Grede had reached out to Kris Jenner and shared an idea for a denim company with her.
Our information tells us that Grede intended on partnering with Jenner’s daughter, Khloe Kardashian. Grede eventually began this partnership and started Good American with Kardashian. Good American is a women’s clothing company that emphasizes body positivity and body size inclusivity.
Grede serves as CEO of Good American. Good American began only selling denim jeans but eventually started selling shoes, sleepwear, swimwear, dresses, and more. Good American also created size 15 clothing in order to allow people with different body types to wear their clothing.
Additionally, something else that you should know is that Grede is a founding partner of Skims. Kim Kardashian and Emma Grede’s husband, Jens Grede, founded Skims. Grede works as the chief product officer of Skims.
Skims was valued at more than $3.2 back in January 2022. Grede also founded Safely along with Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner. Safely is a brand of plant-based self-care and cleaning products.
As far as Emma Grede’s personal life goes, she is married to Jens Grede, as previously mentioned. Jens Grede is Swedish. Jens Grede is the co-founder of Frame, a denim brand, in addition to being the co-founder of Skims.
Jens Grede and Emma Grede moved from London, England, to Los Angeles, California. The two of them have four children.
The names of their children are Lola, Grey, Rafferty, and Lake. We should also note that Lake and Rafferty are twins.
Emma Grede is also the chairwoman of the 15 Percent Pledge. The 15 Percent Pledge is an initiative for retailers to set aside 15% of their total shelf space for use by black-owned businesses. This non-profit organization has existed since 2020 and it performs audits, provides business development strategies to companies that participate in its initiative, and shares its database of black-owned businesses with participating companies.
What is Emma Grede’s Net Worth?
Emma Grede is quite high on the list of richest self-made women in the United States. The most recent estimate of Emma Grede’s net worth puts it at $360 million. The largest contributor to this net worth is Grede’s almost 8% stake in Skims.
The success of Skims accounts for the majority of Emma Grede’s current net worth. However, her 22% stake in Safely also contributes to her net worth. Additionally, we should mention that Grede’s 23% stake in Good American accounts for some of her net worth, too.
Is Emma Grede a Part of Shark Tank?
Emma Grede is not one of the regular ‘sharks’ on the program Shark Tank. However, you should know that Grede frequently makes guest appearances on the show. Grede appeared on season 13 of Shark Tank as a guest Shark Tank judge.
More specifically, Grede appeared in the season 13 premiere of Shark Tank. This episode was titled ‘Press Release’.
Grede made history on Shark Tank, since she was the first woman of color to be on the Shark Tank panel. We should also add that Grede appeared in episode 14 of season 13 of Shark Tank.
What Are Emma Grede’s Best Investments on Shark Tank?
One of the best investments that Emma Grede made on Shark Tank was investing in KIN Apparel with fellow investor Lori Greiner. Greiner and Grede invested $200,000 in KIN Apparel in exchange for a 30% stake in the company. Philomina Kane started KIN Apparel and the company sells satin hoodies to protect your hair while you wear them.
KIN Apparel recorded profits of $246,000 in 2020 prior to Grede and Greiner’s investment. Since the release of the season 13 premiere and Grede’s investment in KIN Apparel, the company has reportedly doubled its 2021 revenue already.
Grede also invested $150,000 in Ooakshell Headwraps by Mika Bertholdo. In return, Grede received a 20% stake in the company. Bertholdo makes the headwraps for only $1 but she sells them for between $24-25 per headwrap.
That profit margin is one of the factors that enticed Grede to invest in the company. There is not much information regarding specific sales statistics for Ooakshell following its appearance on Shark Tank. However, it seems that the company is doing well financially and Ooakshell headwraps are selling well, too.
One more investment we should mention is Emma Grede’s investment in Junobie, which makes silicone reusable breast milk bags. Grede invested $100,000 in Junobie in return for a 22.5% equity in it. Junobie is now worth approximately $1.2 million.
What Are Emma Grede’s Worst Investments on Shark Tank?
Grede, along with Mark Cuban, invested $100,000 in No Limbits in exchange for 10% equity. No Limbits makes adaptive clothing for people who have disabilities.
No Limbits is currently expanding its line of products. However, it has not seen that much immediate success yet following Shark Tank. That could certainly change with Cuban and Grede’s financial backing, though.
