Emma Grede

Described as the “real mastermind of the Kardashian empire”, business mogul Emma Grede dropped out of the London College of Fashion because she couldn’t afford the fees – but what she did have was a fearsome work ethic, entrepreneurial zeal and a knack for negotiation. By just 26 years old, the girl from Plaistow – who confesses she has always had the “gift of the gab” – had built a multimillion-dollar fortune with the launch of talent and marketing agency ITB.

She went on to become a founding partner and chief product officer of Kim Kardashian’s multibillion-dollar shapewear empire SKIMS; CEO of Khloe Kardashian’s size-inclusive denim brand The Good American; co-founder of Kris Kardashian’s cleaning product line, Safely; and a founding investor in Kylie Jenner’s clothing line, Khy. Good American is valued at $3bn (£2.3m) and SKIMS at $4bn as of 2023. As of last May, Emma’s own net worth is $390m.

In February, she was named as one of CNBC’s Changemakers, which celebrates women who are transforming business. Last month, it was announced that Emma had also joined the Obama Foundation’s board of directors. In 2024 she became the first black woman to serve as an investor on the popular ABC series Shark Tank (the US version of Dragons’ Den), and she serves as chairwoman of 15 Percent Pledge, a non-profit that urges retailers to dedicate 15 per cent of their budgets to black-owned businesses.

Emma launched Good American in 2016, as a response to fashion campaigns that preached body inclusivity and diversity but did not make clothes to fit all people. She went on to co-found SKIMS in 2019 with Kim as co-owner, fitting model and creative adviser, creating the next generation of underwear, loungewear and shapewear and named one of TIME’s 100 most influential companies. Emma is also a board member of Baby2Baby, which provides essentials to children in poverty across the US.

In May 2025, Emma launched her podcast Aspire with Emma Grede, offering candid conversations and mentorship aimed at inspiring the next generation of business leaders with her first guests being Gwyneth Paltrow and Mellody Hobson. Born and raised in London, Emma now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede, and their four children. The Gredes’ fortune is such that they bought Brad Pitt’s former Malibu holiday home for $45 million in 2022 – adding to their $24 million Bel Air mansion.