Dragon's Den star Emma Grede's glam life after making millions with Kardashians
Dragons' Den fans are about to welcome a new dragon to the panel - and she's got some serious Hollywood connections.
Emma Grede, 41, has led a truly extraordinary life, rising from a 'poor' college dropout to a millionaire entrepreneur who has worked alongside one of the most famous families on the planet.
A towering figure in the world of business and fashion, Emma has helped build some of the most iconic clothing brands of the 21st century. She's also passionate about opening up opportunities to those with brilliant ideas, advocating for inclusivity in both her work and philanthropic ventures.
As Emma makes her Dragon's Den debut, we take a look at her glamorous life after joining forces with the Kardashian clan, including her amazing net worth.
Early life lessons
Even as a young girl, Emma had a nose for business (Variety via Getty Images)Raised by a single mother in Plaistow, East London, Emma was business-minded from an early age, taking up a paper round at age 12 so she could afford fashion magazines. Opening up about her upbringing with life coach Jay Shetty on his podcast On Purpose, Emma revealed that 'didn't know anyone that owned their own business' growing up, however, she did learn some very important life lessons from her mum.
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Emma shared: "I really value myself and I really value my goals, and I don't think [success] is much more complicated than that. I was taught that by my mum, who was very much like, 'Listen, Emma. You're not better than anybody else, but nor is anyone better than you'."
College drop-out
Determined to turn her love of style into a lucrative career, Emma enrolled as a business studies student at the London College of Fashion, interning for dream designers such as Gucci.
After just six months, however, Emma decided to drop out. Explaining her decision in an interview with Soho House, Emma revealed: "I was a poor kid – I needed the money. I did a work placement and learned more in two weeks than I had in a whole term at college."
Fashion obsessed Emma enjoyed enormous success in her early twenties (Getty Images)By this point, Emma was already doing sponsorship deals for brands, including Julien MacDonald and Nokia, and her career continued to skyrocket. After working for a fashion show production company for a few years, Emma launched Independent Talent Brand (ITB) in 2008, a marketing and entertainment agency that connected brands with talent.
Looking back on this pivotal moment in her life during an interview with the Evening Standard, Emma recalled: "I was 24, my job was to make friends with managers, agents, publicists — that's how you get a deal done. London was amazing at that point. You had Christopher Kane, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou first-season shows and I was out there doing sponsorships with people I admired. It was scrappy; I'd meet someone in marketing and say, 'I have an idea for you!' It was about getting in however I could."
Paving the way
In 2021, Emma made history after becoming the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank - the American version of Dragon's Den. Speaking with ABC News at the time, Emma described the appointment as 'a dream come true'. Explaining her personal mission for the show, she continued: "It's much more about supporting women, Black women, founders of colour, that's really what I was focused on. We all know the stats, the investment and the fundraising is low on the ground for certain groups, especially women and so for me, that was really my focus."
Emma is also chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, an initiative founded in 2020 that encourages retailers to dedicate 15 per cent of shelf space to Black-owned brands. In a speech given at the recent Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala, where attendees were asked to stick to a black-tie Black designer dress code, Emma said: "Part of why we set this dress code every year is so you, our community of supporters, can understand firsthand just how difficult it is to access Black brands. It's an experience that encapsulates our mission at the Pledge to bring Black business to the forefront of consumers' minds and close the racial wealth gap."
Joining forces with the Kardashians
Emma connected with momager Kris Jenner through her marketing work - and soon started sharing her ideas (WireImage)Through her marketing agency work, Emma was able to make connections in very high places - including with the world's most famous momager, Kris Jenner, who she got to know while attending fashion shows. The pair became close, and one day Emma decided to pitch the reality star her idea for Good American - an inclusive, bang-on-trend denim brand that caters to women of all shapes and sizes.
Emma believed the venture would suit Kris' daughter Khloé Kardashian, and made it clear she wanted the third-eldest Kardashian sister as her business partner. The business proved to be a roaring success from day one, pulling in £800,000 (£1 million) on the first day of sales alone - the biggest denim launch in fashion history.
Explaining why she and Khloé make such a great team, Emma told Glamour: "We both make decisions, but we make different decisions. Khloé and I have been really good at knowing where one of us is stronger than the other one. Khloé is not in there making decisions about e-comm and logistics. That's not what she's good at, but by the same token, when it comes to social media and understanding marketing, she's really good at those things. She's spent the last 16 years at the heart of American culture and she really gets that. I think that's what we're good at, knowing where each other's strengths are."
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In 2018, Emma teamed up with Kim Kardashian to launch her wildly successful shapewear brand, Skims, which was valued at £3.2 billion ($4 billion) by Forbes in July 2023. Opening up about what it's really like to work with the Kardashians, Emma told Yahoo! Finance: "There is no one better than the Kardashian family to really connect with popular culture, but when you break that down, what does it mean? Its an understanding of women, of consumers and what they might want to buy."
Eye-popping net worth and glam life
The businesswoman is married to Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede (GC Images)
Emma now rubs shoulders with the rich and famous (Getty Images for Baby2Baby)Emma Grede' is married to Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede, who she tied the knot with back in 2012. In 2017, the couple made the move from London to Los Angeles, where they are raising their four children, Grey, 10, Lola, seven, and twins Lake and Rafferty, two. On top of their £19 million ($24 million) Bel Air estate, in 2022, Emma and Jens paid £36 million ($45 million) for a Malibu home previously owned at different points by two of America's most famous couples - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
Forbes reports that Emma has amassed an incredible net worth of £253 million ($320 million), earning her spot no. 84 on their list of the richest self-made women in America.
You can catch Dragon's Den this evening (February 7) on BBC One at 8pm. Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on , , , , and .
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