Emma Grede is the millionaire CEO and co-founder of the apparel brand Good American, as well as the chief product officer of the shapewear brand SKIMS.
The British businesswoman made the bulk of her fortune through close partnerships with one of America’s most popular families, the Kardashians.
In 2024, Emma Grede’s net worth is estimated at $360 million, which makes her one of the richest self-made women in the United States.
The famous fashion designer and entrepreneur has formed and managed several successful businesses at this point. She is also a guest shark in Shark Tank and the UK’s Dragons’ Den, earning a fortune from her diversified portfolio of assets.
To learn more about how Grede made her fortune, keep reading.
How Much is Emma Grede Worth in 2024?
- Net worth: Estimated at $360 million in 2024.
- Primary income sources: Stakes in Good American, SKIMS, Safely, and real estate investments.
- Good American stake: 23%, valued at approximately $1.75 million.
- SKIMS stake: 8%, valued at around $320 million.
- Safely stake: 22%, value undisclosed.
- Real estate investments: Valued at $69 million.
6 ™Fun Facts about Emma Grede
- Early life: Raised in East London by a single mother along with her three sisters.
- Education: Dropped out of the London College of Fashion to pursue her career in fashion.
- First business: Founded Independent Talent Brand Worldwide (ITB) at the age of 26.
- Collaborations with Kardashians: Co-founded Good American with Khloe Kardashian and SKIMS with Kim Kardashian.
- Shark Tank: Became the first black woman investor on Shark Tank and a guest dragon on the UK’s Dragons’ Den.
- Philanthropy: Chairs The Fifteen Percent Pledge, advocating for retailers to allocate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands.
Emma Grede’s Net Worth: Full Breakdown
Emma Grede is the cofounder of at least three fashion and lifestyle brands, so most of her fortune stems from her stake and earnings from these ventures.
She’s also made significant investments in the business world and holds a lot of value in terms of real estate assets.
Based on our research, we made a breakdown of the successful businesswoman’s assets that contribute to her staggering fortune.
| Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
| Good American stake, 23% | $1.75 million |
| SKIMS stake, 8% | $320 million |
| Safely stake, 22% | Value undisclosed |
| Real estate | $69 million |
| Other businesses and investments | Undisclosed |
| Total Net Worth | $360 million |
Emma Grede Net Worth: Early Life and Education
Emma Findlay Grede was born on September 23, 1982, in the Plaistow neighborhood of East London. One of four siblings, Grede was raised by her single mother, Jenny-Lee Findlay. Her younger sisters are Charlotte, Katie-Beth, and Rachelle.
Grede started working as a teenager, delivering newspapers and doing a series of odd jobs to help support her family and earn some extra cash. She often used the money she saved to buy fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle, feeding her interest in the fashion world from a young age.
Her mother was a window dresser, who raised her four daughters single-handedly, building their passion for fashion.
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When she was 16 years old, Grede enrolled at the London College of Fashion. Being a talented student, she secured several internships while at school, including one at Gucci.
However, Emma Grede didn’t complete her education. She dropped out of school before obtaining her degree to pursue a career in fashion.
Emma Grede’s Personal Life
Emma Grede married Jens Grede in 2012.
Jens Grede is big in the marketing world, having co-founded the fashion advertising agency The Saturday Group in 2003 with Eric Tortensson. In 2012, the pair also launched the denim company Frame.
Today, Emma and Jens Grede have four children together – Grey, Lola, and twins Lake and Rafferty.
Emma Grede Net Worth: Rise to Stardom
Emma Grede has an inspiring rags-to-riches story.
She was raised by a single mother, suffers from dyslexia, and dropped out of fashion school before she completed her education. However, her great talent has propelled Grede to incredible fame and fortune; below you’ll find the details of how she succeeded.
Early Beginnings in Fashion
In 2001, when Emma Grede was only 19 years old, she landed an internship at Gucci. She also worked for Quintessentially, a concierge company before Inca Productions hired her as a fashion show and event producer.
At Inca Productions, Grede was producing shows at London Fashion Week and leading the company’s sponsorship and endorsement division.
I started in show production at a time when British fashion was on fire with designers like Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane, and Giles Deacon, and I was doing sponsorship deals for them [and] partnerships with high street brands…
“London designers had to hustle. The support systems just weren’t there. Which was amazing training for me. I learned what is actually needed when starting a business – not just creativity, but the funding, strategy, marketing, and running of the business,” said Grede in an interview with the Telegraph years later.
Founding Her First Business
In 2008, when Grede was 26 years old, she started her first business, Independent Talent Brand Worldwide (ITB). Grede’s first business was a talent management and entertainment marketing agency based in London, and it was pretty successful with her in the CEO position.
ITB Worldwide is focused on delivering creatively led projects in design, fashion, sport, entertainment, and music. The entertainment marketing agency established itself with Justin Bieber‘s Calvin Klein #MyCalvins campaign and Natalie Portman’s Dior campaign.
Since then, the company has represented around 50 major influencers, working with brands like Mango, H&M, Avon, YSL Beauty, Lacoste, and Chivas.
Ten years after its founding, ITB was acquired by Rogers & Cowan, but the details of the purchase remain undisclosed. After the sale of ITB, Grede exited the company to focus on her next project, while the then-co-managing directors Matthew Pitcher and Emma Gregson remained in their positions.
Grede as CEO and Co-Founder of Good American
When Emma Grede worked as CEO of ITB, she regularly met with rich and famous people, including Kris Jenner, matriarch of the Kardashians who she met at Paris Fashion Week.
Grede decided to pitch an idea to Kris Jenner about inclusive denimwear, suggesting that Khloe Kardashian, her daughter, would be perfect as the project’s planner. The idea was a perfect match for the family, so Khloe Kardashian got involved soon after.
Fast forward to 2016, Emma Grede became the co-founding partner and CEO of Good American – a denimwear company for women offering clothing for US sizes 00 to 24.
With the help of the Kardashian family and the leadership skills of Grede, the size-inclusive fashion brand made $1 million worth of sales on the first day of its opening.
Not long after, Good American expanded its portfolio from strictly selling denim jeans to include tops, activewear, swimwear, dresses, shoes, and sleepwear in its line.
They were also the brand behind the size 15 jeans, cementing their reputation as an inclusive company.
To date, Emma Grede remains the CEO of Good American and reportedly holds a 23% stake in the business.
The denim company Good American is worth around $7.65 million today, but this is just a suggestion. Based on this number, Grede’s stake in the company is valued at $1.75 million.
The Founding and Success of SKIMS
Emma Grede’s business focus is on inclusivity, which is also the founding principle for her next joint venture with one of the Kardashians, SKIMS.
In 2019, Emma Grede became the founding partner of a shapewear brand called SKIMS, which she built with Kim Kardashian. The business partners led the company to incredible success and it is currently valued at $4 billion. Greed is the chief product officer of SKIMS.
Grede reportedly holds an 8% stake in SKIMS. Based on the business valuation of $4 billion, this stake would add around $320 million to Emma Grede’s net worth.
In 2022, Emma Grede and Kim Kardashian won the first Innovation Award presented by Amazon Fashion for their business at the CFDA Awards in New York.
Third Partnership with the Kardashians – Safely
In March 2021, Emma Grede partnered with Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen to co-found yet another business – this time a self-care and plant-based cleaning brand.
Grede had the idea for the business during the COVID-19 pandemic when she was searching for products that would be safe for her family. Today, Safely’s mission is to “rid American homes of harsh toxins with plant-powered products”.
Grede and her Kardashian business partners co-founded the range of cleaning products that are sustainable and plant-based – but also quite costly.
A hand soap, for instance, costs around $13.99, while a laundry detergent costs $16.99.
@krisjenner Lean on Safely for the BEST scented Spring Clean! Shop all Safely at @walmart! 💚💚#getsafely #SafelySpringCleaning #cleantok #cleaning #cleaninghacks #cleaningtiktok #cleaninghack
Today, Grede has a 22% stake in Safely, according to Forbes. Since Grede cofounded Safely just a few years back, it hasn’t been officially valued, so we don’t know how much her stake in the business is worth at this point.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Emma Grede is a fierce fighter for more diverse representation among entrepreneurs and CEOs.
She’s a chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge, which is a nonprofit that encourages retailers to give 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands. The movement was created by designer Aurora James and inspired by George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
As the chairman of the nonprofit, Grede has helped black-owned businesses to generate $10 billion in revenue.
Other Ventures & Investments
The bulk of Grede’s net worth comes from her stake in the three businesses mentioned above, as well as the unknown sum she earned by selling her first company.
However, this is not all Grede has invested in over the years.
Other Investments
Emma Grede and her husband Jens Grede are the founding investors in Khy, Kylie Jenner‘s fashion line, which was launched in 2023. Their exact stake in the business is not disclosed to the public.
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In March 2024, the famous entrepreneur once again partnered with her husband Jens Grede to invest in the luxury cashmere label The Elder Statesman.
The value of their investment or their stake in these ventures is not disclosed to the public.
Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den
Emma Grede is the first black woman investor on the Shark Tank show. During her time on the show, she has worked alongside Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin Hart, Robert Herjavec, and Lori Greiner.
She is a guest shark on several episodes in Shark Tank’s season 13, for which her earnings remain unknown. For reference, other sharks get paid around $10 million for a full season, but Grede has appeared in a total of four episodes, so her payout is most likely much lower.
As of 2024, Grede also became a guest dragon on the 21st series of the British TV program Dragons’ Den.
@bbc Emma Grede doesn’t mess about in the Den 😳 #DragonsDen #iPlayer
Side Hustlers
In 2024, Emma Grede partnered with Ashley Graham and started working on the TV series Side Hustlers, where they empower female entrepreneurs to turn a side hustle into a business.
@therokuchannel Be your own boss. Powerhouse investors Ashley Graham and Emma Grede empower female entrepreneurs to turn their side hustle into their main hustle. From @Hello Sunshine and Ally, stream #SideHustlers free on The Roku Channel on March 1!
Real Estate
Last but not least, Grede has invested a fortune in real estate. She and her husband live in a $24 million Bel Air mansion. In 2017, they also bought Brad Pitt’s Malibu holiday home for $45 million.
What Can We Learn from Emma Grede’s Story?
Emma Grede’s journey to becoming one of the wealthiest self-made women in the US and worldwide is an inspiring story of strategic partnerships, perseverance, and a keen business sense.
From her early days working odd jobs to support her family to founding multiple successful companies, Grede has demonstrated a relentless drive and vision.
Raised by a single mother in East London, Grede faced financial difficulties from a young age and took on various jobs to help her family, which in return helped her foster a strong work ethic. Despite the hardships, she nurtured her interest in fashion.
Although Grede didn’t complete her degree from the London College of Fashion, her talent helped her secure internships at companies like Gucci.
An early career start helped her get noticed in fashion circles and gave her the tools she needed to hone her skills in fashion show production and sponsorship deals.
Grede founded her first company at 26, demonstrating great courage and the importance of believing in your skills and qualities. The company’s success set the stage for her future ventures, not to mention it most likely added a lot to her net worth following its sale.
Finally, Grede’s philanthropic efforts highlight the importance of using one’s success and influence to drive positive change and support underrepresented communities.