Long before the recent reports of silence between her and Khloe Kardashian began circling the internet, Emma Grede had already cemented herself as one of the most influential business figures behind multiple billion-dollar consumer brands. Now, with insiders claiming the two co-founders of Good American are no longer on speaking terms, the spotlight has shifted from boardrooms to social media timelines, with fans and industry observers trying to piece together what exactly went wrong.
The story of Emma Grede is far bigger than any single partnership or falling out. It is a story about a woman from a working-class neighborhood in East London who built a portfolio of companies collectively worth billions, redefined what size-inclusive fashion could look like, became the first Black female investor on Shark Tank, and managed to operate largely outside the public glare while the Kardashian name drew all the cameras.
Here is everything worth knowing about Emma Grede, how she built her empire, and what the reported rift with Khloe Kardashian means for the businesses they built together.
From East London to the Fashion Industry
Emma Findlay Grede was born on September 23, 1982, in the Plaistow neighborhood of East London, England. She was raised by her single mother, Jenny-Lee Findlay, who worked at Morgan Stanley, alongside three younger sisters: Charlotte, Rachelle, and Katie-Beth. Her father is of Jamaican and Trinidadian heritage, making Emma of mixed-race background.
Growing up in a working-class household, Grede started working early. By the age of 12, she was delivering newspapers before school each morning. She saved her earnings to buy fashion magazines like Elle and Vogue, which became her first window into the fashion world.
At 16, Grede enrolled at the London College of Fashion, but she left before completing her degree after securing an internship at Gucci. That decision proved to be a turning point. Rather than following the traditional academic route, she jumped straight into the industry, joining Inca Productions, a firm best known for producing events at London Fashion Week.
Building ITB Worldwide
By the age of 26, in 2008, Grede founded her first company: Independent Talent Brand (ITB) Worldwide, a London-based talent management and entertainment marketing agency. The firm worked with major global brands including H&M, TikTok, Tommy Hilfiger, and YSL Beauty. Over the next decade, ITB grew into a respected name in the space, and in 2018, it was acquired by Rogers & Cowan, marking Grede’s first successful business exit.
This period was also when Grede met her husband, Jens Grede, a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded the premium denim brand Frame. Jens joined ITB Worldwide as a founding shareholder, and the two married on July 28, 2008. They now have four children together: Grey, Lola, and twins Lake and Rafferty. The couple lives in Bel Air, Los Angeles.
The Good American Origin Story
The pitch that changed everything happened during Paris Fashion Week in 2015. Grede approached Kris Jenner with an idea for a denim brand built around body positivity and size inclusivity, something that was largely absent from the premium denim market at the time. Grede specifically wanted to partner with Khloe Kardashian, who had publicly spoken about body-shaming experiences and her relationship with her own body image.
In October 2016, Good American officially launched. The concept was simple but powerful: offer high-quality denim in every size, from 00 to 32, and photograph real women of all body types in its campaigns.
A Record-Breaking Launch Day
Good American generated $1 million in sales on its very first day, making it the largest denim launch in the history of the fashion industry. The brand quickly expanded beyond jeans into activewear, swimwear, footwear, and ready-to-wear collections.
In the years since, the brand has grown substantially. Revenue estimates place Good American at roughly $155 million annually as of 2026, with the brand available at major retailers including Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Selfridges, alongside its direct-to-consumer website.
Grede served as CEO and handled the day-to-day operations from the start. Khloe Kardashian served as the public face and co-founder, bringing massive visibility and social media reach to the brand. This division of labor was, by most accounts, what made the partnership successful: Grede handled strategy, product development, and operations, while Kardashian brought cultural relevance and audience reach.
Grede holds a confirmed 23% ownership stake in Good American. Kardashian’s exact ownership percentage has not been publicly disclosed, though she remains listed as a co-founder and investor.
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Beyond Good American: SKIMS, Safely, and Off Season
SKIMS
In 2019, Grede teamed up with Kim Kardashian and her husband Jens Grede to launch SKIMS, a shapewear and underwear brand focused on inclusive sizing and everyday comfort. Emma serves as founding partner and chief product officer, playing a direct role in product development and brand direction.
SKIMS has become the single biggest driver of Grede’s personal wealth. The company raised $225 million in November 2025 at a $5 billion valuation, in a funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. Grede holds an 8% founding stake, which puts her SKIMS equity alone at roughly $400 million on paper. Combined with her husband Jens’s shares, the couple controls just under 14% of the company.
Safely
Grede also co-founded Safely, a plant-based cleaning products brand, alongside Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen. She holds a 22% stake in the company. While Safely operates at a smaller scale than SKIMS or Good American, it represents another piece of Grede’s strategy of building consumer brands across multiple categories.
Off Season
In 2025, Grede launched Off Season, a sports apparel brand, in partnership with fashion designer Kristin Juszczyk, the NFL, and Fanatics. This venture represents her first major move into the licensed sports apparel space.
Emma Grede’s Net Worth
Forbes estimates Grede’s net worth at approximately $405 million as of 2025-2026, making her one of America’s richest self-made women. She has appeared on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women every year since 2022, reaching number 88 on the 2025 list.
The majority of her wealth is tied to her 8% stake in SKIMS. Her additional holdings in Good American (23%), Safely (22%), and other ventures contribute to the remainder. Because SKIMS remains privately held, her shares are currently illiquid, meaning the paper value could change significantly depending on whether SKIMS eventually goes public or raises additional funding.
Television: Shark Tank, Dragons’ Den, and Side Hustlers
Grede first appeared as a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank during Season 13 in 2021, becoming the first Black female investor in the show’s history since its 2009 premiere. She has returned as a recurring guest shark across multiple seasons since.
In 2024, she crossed back to her British roots by appearing as a guest dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den for Series 21, alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, and Steven Bartlett. She was the first-ever guest Dragon on the show.
Grede also executive produced and co-hosted Side Hustlers, a Roku series produced with Hello Sunshine and Ally Financial. She co-hosted the show alongside model Ashley Graham, helping female entrepreneurs turn side projects into full-time businesses. The show premiered in March 2024 as the number-one on-demand title on The Roku Channel, and its second season launched in August 2024, also reaching the top spot.
The Aspire Podcast and “Start With Yourself” Book
In 2025, Grede launched Aspire with Emma Grede, a weekly podcast featuring interviews with founders, executives, and cultural figures. Guests have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Mellody Hobson, Mark Cuban, and Paris Hilton.
On April 14, 2026, she released her debut book, Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life, published by Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster. The book became a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. It draws on Grede’s personal experiences growing up in East London, dropping out of college, and building a portfolio of companies, and presents a framework for developing the mindset needed to build a career and life on one’s own terms.
The Work-Life Balance Controversy
In May 2025, Grede went viral after an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett. When asked about red flags in job interviews, she said that a candidate asking about work-life balance was a concern for her.
Her exact sentiment was that work-life balance is an employee’s responsibility to manage, not an employer’s obligation to provide. The comments drew significant attention online, with critics calling the stance tone-deaf and others defending it as a realistic assessment of the demands of ambitious careers. The conversation drew parallels to previous comments by Kim Kardashian about people not wanting to work.
In April 2026, Grede doubled down in an interview with Elle, adding that remote work could be detrimental to career advancement, particularly for women seeking promotions and higher pay.
Philanthropy and Advocacy
Beyond her commercial ventures, Grede serves as chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a nonprofit organization founded by Aurora James in 2020 that encourages major retailers to allocate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. Partners include Sephora, Nordstrom, and Google.
She sits on the board of directors of the Obama Foundation and is a trustee and board member of Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that provides essential items like diapers, clothing, and basic necessities to children living in poverty across the United States. She also serves as a board member of The RealReal and Women for Women International.
In 2022, Grede and her husband Jens received the CFDA Innovation Award from Amazon Fashion for their work with SKIMS. She has also been named a King’s Trust Ambassador.
Timeline: The Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede Rift
Here is a chronological breakdown of what has been reported:
Khloe Kardashian and her business partner Emma Grede ‘are no longer on speaking terms’ – after reality star unfollowed her on Instagram https://t.co/qJQYuOj4H8
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) August 23, 2026
October 2016: Grede and Kardashian launch Good American. The brand records $1 million in first-day sales and receives widespread media attention.
2016-2024: The partnership runs smoothly. Grede manages day-to-day operations as CEO, while Kardashian serves as public ambassador and co-founder. Good American grows to an estimated $200 million in annual revenue by 2022.
August 2024: Khloe Kardashian’s last Instagram grid post promoting Good American. She begins reducing her involvement with the brand, stepping back from promotional activities and canceling scheduled brand events.
Late 2024 to Early 2025: Insiders report that the working relationship between the two has “fizzled out.” Sources tell Us Weekly that Kardashian is no longer involved in strategy or operations and is instead focusing her attention on her Khloud brand and her podcast, Khloe in Wonderland.
January 2026: Content creator @georgiejxmes shares a video noting that Kardashian has not promoted Good American on Instagram since August 2024, that the brand is no longer linked in her Instagram bio, and that she has unfollowed Emma Grede on the platform. The video goes viral.
February 2026: Us Weekly reports that sources confirm the two are “not close” and “haven’t been in a while.” However, Grede still follows Kardashian and all the Kardashian-Jenner family members on Instagram.
On her podcast, Khloe in Wonderland, Kardashian addresses her reduced involvement, saying that Good American is “doing so well” and is “strong enough and stable enough to sustain on its own.”
April-August 2026: The Mirror and other outlets report that the broader Kardashian family has distanced itself from Grede, though sources indicate the fallout with Khloe has not affected Emma’s business relationships with Kim or the rest of the family. One insider tells The Sun the two are no longer on speaking terms. Neither Kardashian nor Grede has publicly confirmed a falling out, and representatives for both women have not commented.
Why This Matters for Good American
The central question now is whether Good American can thrive without the celebrity co-sign that helped launch it. There are strong arguments on both sides.
On one hand, the brand has built genuine consumer loyalty over nearly a decade. Its size-inclusive positioning, which ranges from 00 to 32, remains a differentiator in the premium denim market. The brand has also expanded its retail footprint, launching at Macy’s across 36 stores in spring 2025 and expanding to 79 doors by fall 2025. Its Nordstrom and Selfridges partnerships remain active.
On the other hand, celebrity-driven fashion brands often rely heavily on the visibility and credibility that the celebrity partner provides. Kardashian’s absence from promotional activities since August 2024 raises questions about whether the brand’s marketing engine can maintain momentum without her.
Grede, however, has demonstrated repeatedly that she is the operational force behind the brand. As CEO, she oversees product development, retail strategy, supply chain logistics, and marketing execution. Even during the peak of the partnership, Grede was the one running the company while Kardashian lent her name and platform.
The Bigger Picture: Emma Grede’s Relationship With the Kardashian Empire
It is worth noting that Grede’s business ties to the Kardashian family extend well beyond Khloe. She is a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, which is valued at $5 billion. She co-founded Safely with Kris Jenner. Grede was also involved in the launch of Kylie Jenner’s clothing line KHY in 2023.
According to multiple sources, the fallout with Khloe has not affected Grede’s relationships with other family members. One insider told The Blast that “the fallout with Khloe didn’t affect Emma’s relationship with Kim or the rest of the family,” adding that what remains between them is “very much a business-only relationship.”
This distinction is significant. Even if the personal friendship between Khloe and Emma has ended, the business infrastructure connecting Grede to the broader Kardashian empire remains intact.
Interesting Facts About Emma Grede
- She bought Brad Pitt’s former Malibu holiday home for approximately $27 million in 2022, in addition to her primary residence in Bel Air, Los Angeles, which is valued at approximately $19 million.
- She was named one of the seven richest Black women in America by Forbes and Billionaires.Africa.
- In 2022, she was recognized with the CFDA Innovation Award alongside her husband Jens for their work with SKIMS.
- She schedules a dedicated “AI day” once every six weeks to stay current on how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, a practice she credits to a conversation with Mark Cuban during a podcast recording.
- Her debut book Start With Yourself became a New York Times bestseller within weeks of its April 2026 release.
- She is a board member of the Obama Foundation, making her one of the few fashion industry figures to hold such a position.
FAQ
Who is Emma Grede?
Emma Grede is a British-born entrepreneur, businesswoman, and fashion industry executive. She is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS, co-founder of Safely, and co-founder of Off Season. She is also a recurring guest investor on Shark Tank, a guest dragon on Dragons’ Den, and the host of the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast.
What is Emma Grede’s net worth?
Forbes estimates her net worth at approximately $405 million as of 2025-2026. The bulk of her wealth comes from her 8% stake in SKIMS, which was valued at $5 billion in November 2025. She also holds a 23% stake in Good American and a 22% stake in Safely.
Are Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede still friends?
As of August 2026, multiple reports indicate the two are no longer close and may not be on speaking terms. Khloe unfollowed Emma on Instagram earlier in 2026, has not promoted Good American since August 2024, and has removed the brand from her Instagram bio. Neither woman has publicly confirmed a falling out.
What happened between Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede?
According to sources cited by Us Weekly, The Sun, and other outlets, the working relationship between the two gradually faded as Khloe stepped back from day-to-day involvement with Good American. Insiders say the reduced participation led to friction, and the personal friendship dissolved alongside the professional distance.
Is Good American still operating?
Yes. Good American continues to operate under Emma Grede’s leadership as CEO. The brand reportedly generates approximately $155 million in annual revenue and has continued expanding its retail presence, including a partnership with Macy’s in 2025.
Does Emma Grede still work with the Kardashian family?
Yes. While her relationship with Khloe has reportedly changed, Grede remains a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS and has business ties to Kris Jenner through Safely. Sources indicate the fallout with Khloe has not impacted her business relationships with other family members.
What is the Aspire podcast?
Aspire with Emma Grede is a weekly podcast launched in 2025 in which Grede interviews founders, executives, and cultural figures about their careers, mindset, and strategies for success.
What is “Start With Yourself” about?
Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life is Grede’s debut book, published on April 14, 2026, by Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster. It became a New York Times bestseller and presents a framework for building success through mindset, drawing on Grede’s personal experiences growing up in East London and building her business portfolio.
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Last Updated on August 25, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
