Who is Emma Grede? Everything you need to know about the Dragons’ Den guest star

You might not recognise the name Emma Grede but you’ll certainly know the names of her business partners and co-founded brands. The CEO of Khloe Kardashian’s denim label Good American and founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear empire Skims, the British businesswoman is a powerhouse in her own right.

Now, she’s returning as a guest on the BBC’s legendary business show Dragons’ Den. Back in the hot seat in this week’s episode, she’ll be hearing pitches from two brothers with a range of sauces; a London-based graduate with an automatic cooling device; and a Welsh innovator with a bike storage solution.

As of last year, Grede was worth $390m. Khloe and Kim aren’t the only Kardashian’s Grede’s invested in, either. In 2021, Grede co-founded Safely (a sustainable cleaning product brand) with Kris Jenner, while Grede and her partner Jens Grede are also founding investors in Kylie Jenner’s fashion line Khy.

Born and raised in East London by her single mother, the business mogul is now based in Bel Air, Los Angeles. Starting a paper route at the age of 12, she reportedly saved her pennies to buy fashion magazines. Fast forward 14 years, to 2008, when she founded the fashion and entertainment marketing agency ITB Worldwide at the age of just 26.

Years later, she became the first Black woman to serve as an investor on the popular ABC series Shark Tank (the US version of Dragons’ Den), while she’s also chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge, a non-profit that works to get retailers to dedicate 15 per cent of their monthly budget to Black-owned businesses.

In an interview for Marie Claire, Grede revealed why she enjoys shows such as Dragons’ Den: “[It’s] the levelling of the playing field. If you have ambition, an idea, and you want to make a better life for yourself and your family… you deserve that opportunity.”

Thanks to its size inclusivity and body-positive campaign marketing, Good American now rivals Levi’s and Agolde as one of the biggest denim brands in the world. Meanwhile, shapewear label Skims is now a billion-dollar enterprise. In the past year alone, Skims has unveiled collaborations with The North Face, Dolce and Gabanna and an entirely new brand with Nike. Now, Grede’s about to take her wealth of business knowledge to the den. Ahead of her episode, here’s everything you need to know about the brands Grede’s involved in.

Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer at shapewear label Skims. She founded the brand alongside Kim Kardashian in 2019, alongside her husband, Jens Grede. As well as managing product development and clothing, she helps bring in new talent to the company. As of last year, the brand was valued at $4bn. Innovations like the ultimate nipple bra (£64, Skims.com) or ultimate butt enhancer keep the brand going viral, while collaborations with the likes of The North Face and Dolce and Gabanna have sold out within hours. Just last week, Skims and Nike unveiled an entirely new brand together, called NikeSKIMS.

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Naturally, we’ve also reviewed a number of the brand’s products, including its shapewear – with its seamless sculpt mid-waist briefs (£34, Skims.com) being praised by our tester who said that they can “vouch for how easily they slip into your wardrobe and make everything look just that little bit better”.

Grede is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, a fashion brand she launched with Khloe Kardashian. Overseeing its operations and strategic direction since its launch in 2016, the brand is now worth more than $3 billion. The label has won a loyal following thanks to its size-inclusive jeans collections (it offers clothing up to size 32) and campaigns featuring diverse body types on its website.

Grede and her husband are also founding investors in Kylie Jenner’s fashion line Khy, which launched in 2023. Specialising in faux leather pieces, co-ords and capsule wardrobe staples like shirts and blazers, the first drop sold out, making the company more than $1m.

Grede is also co-founder of Safely, a plant-based cleaning and self-care brand. Founded in 2021 with Chrissy Teigan and Kris Jenner – but Teigan later that year stepped back from the company –  the brand aims to bring “clean cleaning” into the home with formulas that avoid harsh toxins. Expanding into home fragrance in the years since, it’s sold at Amazon, Walmart and Whole Foods in the US.

Ahead of the new episode, catch up on last week’s Dragons’ Den