The key to the Kardashians’ business success may well be their global fame – but it turns out the celebrity family has found another way to boost their entrepreneurial endeavors in the form of a British-born college dropout-turned-CEO and brand whisperer who has helped to launch three of the reality stars’ pet projects, including Khloe’s denim brand and Kim’s shapewear company. 

Meet Londoner Emma Grede, a 40-year-old mother-of-four who has become right-hand woman to Khloe, Kim, and Kris – helping to launch all three of their businesses over the past six years, while landing herself top positions within the trio of companies. 

Since 2016, Emma has been quietly working alongside the A-list family, first helping to found Khloe’s jeans company Good American as its CEO, then launching Kim’s shapewear line SKIMS as a founding partner, before becoming the chief product officer of Kris’ new cleaning product company Safely in 2021. 

But how did the 40-year-old go from a college dropout to having a her hand in some of the most successful brands in the world?

Emma grew up in London and was raised by a single mom who struggled to make ends meet – but she said seeing how hard her mother worked helped turn her into the strong business woman that she is today.

She said that from a young age, she turned to fashion magazines to ‘escape’ her ‘bleak and grim’ life, and she knew from early on that she would do whatever it took to land a job in the industry. 

Emma left school midway to pursue her career, and by the time she was 26, she had started her own talent agency. It was through that agency that she was able to meet the Kardashian matriarch Kris, 66. 

When she came up with the idea to create an inclusive jeans brand, she pitched it to the momager – who thought it would be a perfect fit for her daughter Khloé, 37.

Emma now has a reported net worth of $5 million and has used her expertise to launch many triumphant companies.

From her impressive career and how she first landed on the Kardashian family’s radar to her personal life and the way she balances multiple brands while raising her four kids, FEMAIL has uncovered everything you need to know about the mogul.

A look back at Emma’s childhood: How watching her single mom struggle to make ends meet taught her to be a strong business woman 

Emma was born and raised in London, England, and her parents are immigrants from Jamaica and Trinidad. Her mom, who raised her and her siblings by herself after divorcing her dad, worked at Morgan Stanley.

‘I was under no illusion that it wasn’t hard bringing us up,’ Emma told Standard.co.uk, while discussing her mother. 

‘She was gone a lot, but I always understood that she went to work to put a roof over our heads. That set the way I think; you get up each day and you graft.

‘I credit so much of who I am to my upbringing. I was raised with three sisters in Plaistow by a single mom. We knew our neighbors and there was a real sense of community. You could trust people, you were as good as your word and I’ve taken that mentality with me.’

She had many odd jobs as a teen, including delivering newspapers, working at a deli, and running the cash register at a clothing shop – to name a few.

She recalled saving up all her money to buy magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, and she always knew she wanted to work in fashion. 

‘I was drawn to that world and those people, [but] it was more a means of escapism,’ she admitted to Bustle. ‘That glamour was very far from how I was being raised.’

She studied business at the London College of Fashion, but dropped out in 2001, after she landed an internship with Gucci.

‘It was the right decision for me. I learnt that I got more out of a couple of months work than I could from a college,’ she explained to Standard.co.uk. 

Inside Emma’s career: How the college dropout convinced Khloé Kardashian to start a company with her

Emma then landed a job at Inca Productions, producing various fashion shows and events for the company.

‘At Inca, Emma was part of pioneering the business of “designer collaborations,” engagements between consumer brands and high fashion, working with the leading design talent of today, such as Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood and Zac Posen, as well as brands including Chivas, Mercedes-Benz and Sky,’ her bio reads.

In 2008, she launched her own London-based talent management and marketing agency called ITB Worldwide – which she owned until 2018 when it was acquired by Rogers & Cowen.

‘I had been around a lot of people, seeing clients and deals. I just imagined, “Well, if they can do it, why can’t I?”‘ she recalled to CNBC, about starting ITB Worldwide.

Through ITB, she landed a partnership with Natalie Portman and Dior. ITB also helped her link up with the Kardashians – she worked on Kendall Jenner’s #MyCalvins ad campaign and met Kris Jenner during a Paris Fashion Week event. 

After growing close with Kris, she pitched the idea of Good American to the momager, who thought it would be a perfect fit for Khloé.

Emma recalled to Standard.co.uk: ‘She thought Khloé might like my idea, and so I went to LA to meet her the following week.’ 

The youngest-Kardashian sister said ‘yes’ right away, and the brand was quickly born.

Good American launched in October 2016, and it racked up $1 million in sales on its first day – reportedly the biggest denim launch in apparel history. 

‘We’re a great partnership. We really understand how to create an incredible product,’ gushed Emma. 

‘Khloé and I come from different places and have had vastly different upbringings, but what we have in common is confidence. We asked ourselves where it comes from. How can you give other women that same feeling?

‘I grew up with a white mom, a black dad and friends who were from everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. It goes without saying that diversity is important to me.’ 

According to Bustle, Emma is involved in almost every aspect of the business – overseeing everything from design to e-commerce. 

‘On the weekends, she’ll read customers’ product reviews to get ideas for product innovations,’ it reported; and Khloé called her one of the ‘hardest working people’ she knew.

‘She embraces every component of the business, and consistently pushes the envelope for what a modern and inclusive fashion brand can be,’ Khloé said to the outlet. 

Emma insisted that she reads ‘every single review’ left by Good American customers, which has given her a lot of insight into making the products even better.

‘Our businesses are incredibly data led. We’re looking at everything,’ she shared with Ramped Up. 

‘What is the experience of somebody who comes on to our site in one part of the country versus another part of the country?

‘What are the habits between people who shop in this country versus internationally? What are the patterns in returns teaching us? Oftentimes, the data leads us to innovation.’

Emma launched SKIMS with Kim, 41, in 2018, and in 2021, the New York Times valued the company at $1.6 billion.

In May 2021, she also teamed up with Kris and Chrissy Teigen to create a vegan home care line called Safely, which recently made its way to Walmart.

Emma is also the chairwoman of 15 Percent Pledge, an initiative dedicated to getting retailers to reserve 15 per cent of their shelf space for Black-owned businesses, as well as an ambassador for Women for Women International. 

She was also a guest during season 13 of Shark Tank – becoming the first-ever black woman investor to appear on the ABC show.

‘I think I’m a good Shark because first of all, I’m relatively young and the business climate now is really unique and really different than it’s ever been before,’ she told People Magazine at the time. ‘And I’ve prioritized my career in building a diverse, inclusive route and team.’

One thing that Emma takes pride in is inclusivity across all of her brands – making sure they cater to people of all sizes, shapes, and skin tones.

‘I think it’s really important to drive change,’ she told the outlet in February. ‘We’re in a really unique time in the world where a business like Good American or a business like SKIMS can ultimately drive huge change in the industry.

‘Because when we do things and we say we are creating all clothes in double XL through to 5X. I think I’m in an amazing position to actually change the way things are done, and that’s what makes me most excited.’

Emma explained that she is passionate about building ‘incredible teams’ and ‘creating opportunities for people’ through her brands.

‘I think 20 years ago, entrepreneurs had much more of a kind of me-first mentality,’ she added. ‘I do think the opposite way. I’m about building incredible teams and creating opportunities for people, building loyalty.

‘That way you’ll find a lot of people that have started with me 10 or even 12 years ago are still working with me now in totally different positions, but people stick with me and I think that’s really important.’

As for what she’s learned from working with the Kardashians, she revealed, ‘I think what they’ve helped me with is – I just think the idea of never resting, no matter how successful you’ve become.

‘The idea of always working as hard as anybody else in the room is so incredibly important. And that’s what I see from them every single day. And that’s what I emulate.’

While chatting with Elle, Emma said the reason she thinks she works so well with the Kardashians is because she’s so different from them.

Although she has modeled for her brands from time to time, and has attended red carpet events with the famous family, she doesn’t enjoy being in the spotlight – but rather, prefers to stay behind-the-scenes.

‘I’m just not that girl,’ she explained. ‘I can’t do that stuff. And I think that’s probably one of the reasons my partnerships with the girls work out so well

‘Because they do that. I never think about myself as a face of the brands – I’m the brain of the brands.’

But when it comes to criticism, she is unbothered. She added: ‘I’m very proud to work with Kim and Khloé and Kris; they are incredible business partners.

‘I see and hear the criticism every day, but do I sleep well? Do I have peace with what I do? Absolutely.’

A deep dive into Emma’s personal life: How the CEO balances running multiple billion-dollar businesses while raising her four young kids 

Emma is married to Jens Grede, 44, and together, they share four children – Grey, Lola, and twins Lake and Rafferty.

Jens, for his part, co-founded the multi-media fashion marketing agency Wednesday Agency Group with Erik Torstensson, and he now oversees 12 companies, including Frame Denim.

They met while they both worked on ITB, and he serves as a board director for Skims.

‘It’s funny, because we had a business relationship before we had a personal relationship, and we’re actually not that good at collaborating,’ joked Emma, while chatting with Bustle. 

‘He does what he does, and I do what I do, and we’re very respectful of one another’s respective areas of expertise, but we don’t cross over that much.’ 

But when it comes to balancing her impressive career and family, she previously admitted that it’s not easy for her. 

‘I don’t do everything brilliantly and I don’t profess to. I have an enormous amount of help, I have nannies for my kids, I don’t clean my house,’ she admitted to Standard.co.uk. ‘Something has to give.

‘I have a limited number of friends, I’m not out having cocktails. There have been stages of my life which were more about being social, now I’m focused on the businesses. 

‘I don’t try to find a great balance. If I have a sick kid, I have a sick kid. If I have a deal to close, I have a deal to close.

‘I don’t believe I’m here to just fulfil the needs of my children. I’m trying to show them self-fulfillment. I want them to see me doing what makes me happy, so that they learn the importance of finding that thing that you love.’

The couple officially relocated from London, England, to Los Angeles, California, in 2017, and they put their London home on the market for $7 million three years later.