Emma Grede Has Centered Inclusivity In Her Businesses, And Now Her Portfolio Is Worth Billions – AfroTech

Emma Grede always wants to operate from a place of authenticity and intention.

During a panel held on Saturday, Dec. 6, for Saint & Citizen’s Saint Week at the Rubell Museum in Miami, FL, which brings together artists, designers, musicians, and thinkers who are innovating within the fashion industry today and for its future, she reflected on her identity and its role in shaping who she is today.

Grede comes from Trinidadian and Jamaican roots and was raised by her Jamaican stepdad’s family.

“So much of my identity was forged by the stories and the things that I’ve heard. And then of course, as a human being, you evolve. You evolve into a new identity. And I’d be lying if I said that so much a part of who I am today has come from me really spotting who I wanted to be, and being at conflict with that at times. When you grow up in a place like I did, you don’t always want to be that,” she shared on the panel. “I think that I had a really big vision and idea of what I wanted to be in the world. Some of that was self-crafted, and some of it was made up and make-believe before it was ever true,” she added.

Co-Founder Of Good American And SKIMS

Today, Grede is living a life she once imagined from afar. She went from a 12-year-old delivering newspapers, which allowed her to purchase her first pair of Gucci loafers, to becoming the co-founder of fashion brands Good American with Khloe Kardashian and SKIMS with Kim Kardashian.

Grede credits her prioritization of inclusivity with her success and ability to scale the businesses with apparel that ensures people feel represented and valued.

“What we’ve done in our businesses is uncoupled the idea that at a certain size isn’t aspirational … I think my starting point, my baseline was not to have a one-dimensional view of beauty,” Grede said on the panel.

“And to a large degree, I think the culture has caught on because we see beauty regardless of size. And that is owing to the fact that we’ve been relentless in presenting that we’re not a business that says, ‘For a year, we’re gonna push on this idea of inclusivity.’ It’s all the sizes all the time for years and years and years, regardless of what the market says, regardless of whether it feels fashionable,” she added.

Both Good American and SKIMS boast billion-dollar valuations.

Good American made $1 million in its first day in business back in 2016, Forbes reports. The company had a $3.2 million valuation back in 2023, according to Boardroom.

In November 2025 SKIMS closed a $225 million funding round, bringing its exact valuation to $5 billion, as AFROTECH™ previously told you.

Grede’s portfolio also includes Off Season, an elevated sports apparel brand for sports enthusiasts, Vogue describes. It’s a newer venture for Grede that launched this year, alongside fashion designer Kristin Juszczyk.

All in all, Grede, a self-made millionaire and serial investor who has appeared on “Shark Tank,” reportedly has a $405 million net worth, per CNBC. Despite her success, Grede says authenticity and intention remain the guiding forces behind everything she builds.

“If you care about legacy, it’s something that has to impact your work every day. And I think I’m very aware that what I do has ripple effects that I could never really have imagined in my life,” she said in an exclusive statement provided to AFROTECH™.

“And so I’m very purposeful and very intentional. And I say that in the sense of like, I know that what I say, what I do, how I walk into a room, the work that we create, it shows up in so many different lives and in so many different ways that I never really expected it to. So I just try to always do everything from a place of real authenticity, of real meaning, and to be extremely purposeful about what I put out because I’m aware of the significance of it every day,” she added.

Grede started her own podcast titled “Aspire with Emma Grede,” an intentional move as she seeks to empower more women entrepreneurs through the knowledge and network she has cultivated over the years.

“More businesses were started this year than ever before. And women massively over-indexed for those set of entrepreneurs … But when I talk to women on my podcast about money, ‘Oh, it’s tough. Women don’t wanna talk about money.’ So again, I feel like it’s opening up those pathways, having the conversations, being intentional, putting your money where your mouth is, investing in girls, sharing the information, and all of that will have an amazing trickle down effect,” she expressed on the panel.

In addition, Grede will publish a book titled “Start with Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life” in 2026. The book is yet another mode for Grede share her entrepreneurial experience and inspire others to pursue their goals.