Emma Grede never dreamed of fancy boardrooms or private jets growing up. Picture East London in the ’90s, red-brick terraced houses, close-knit streets, and a single mum making the best of things.
Emma didn’t know about venture capital or startups; she just knew hard work and commitment.
She wasn’t shoulder-to-shoulder with Silicon Valley geniuses or Wall Street moguls. No, she was among the first in her class to land a “real job”: newspaper delivery at 12.
She wrapped turkey sandwiches at a deli and battled through a restaurant shift, a job most kids would trade for video games. But to Emma, they were labs for lessons. “I can be proud of anything,” she said, “and I also gain a tremendous amount of learning from everything”.
A Mother’s Simple Yet Powerful Lesson
Her mother, a working single parent struggling to get by, gave her one piece of advice:
“You’re no better than anyone else, but no one is better than you.”
That sentence was Emma’s North Star. It instilled in her two traits that would define her working life: self-respect and practical ambition.
She respected herself and her goals, she explained to Jay Shetty on his “On Purpose” podcast, “I don’t think success is much more complicated than that”.
That advice did more than curb hubris, it encouraged a confident humility, the middle ground between cockiness and self-doubt.
Confident Humility: A Leadership Superpower
Wharton psychologist Adam Grant once wrote, calling the duo “confident humility”,
“Confidence without humility breeds blind arrogance, and humility without confidence yields debilitating doubt. Confident humility allows you to believe in yourself while questioning your strategies.”
Emma’s early work experience taught her that you don’t have to be the best; you have to pick up things fast. She approached every job as if it were school.
At 26, she had established ITB Worldwide, an entertainment-marketing firm based in London that wooed clients like Natalie Portman and Kris Jenner. She’d sold it to Rogers & Cowan by 2018, evidence positive that confidence coupled with humility does the trick.
Denim, Dilemmas, Kardashians, and SKIMS
Emma collaborated with Khloé Kardashian in 2016 to launch Good American, a body-positive denim brand with the mission of bringing size inclusivity to the mainstream. Its launch was a success, with millions of dollars worth of jeans on its first day of launch.
Only two years after that, she co-founded SKIMS together with her husband, Jens Grede and Kim Kardashian as Chief Product Officer. As of July 2023, SKIMS was valued at an astonishing $4 billion and continued to grow.
Emma made SKIMS the “Starbucks of underwear”, upscale, diverse, and well worth the extra money, for quality and experience. SKIMS sells bras for more than $50, underwear for around $18, and reached $1 billion in net sales in 2024.
A $320 Million Empire and Counting
She is estimated to be worth $320 million. That comes primarily from her holdings in SKIMS and Good American, as well as Safely, a vegan cleaning business she co-founded, and an executive position at the head of the board of The Fifteen Percent Pledge.
She kept pushing herself. “I always felt like if I worked hard enough…and really put everything into it that I could achieve” she told CNBC, “I still feel like that today”.
From Sandwiches to Strategy: How Mom’s Advice Shapes Every Move
Here’s the way that one maternal catchphrase finds itself in Emma’s empire:
- All work counts – At age 12, Emma used know-how and confidence earned at paper routes and sandwich shops to take on boardrooms. The lesson: all experiences matter.
- Equal Partnerships – Emma deals with Khloé, Kim, and Jens on a basis of respect, yet not deference.
- Empowering products – SKIMS isn’t just shapewear, it’s body positivity in the guise of good threads, for every body.
- Humble leadership – Emma does not fear failure. She said that fear can be your teacher if only you listen.
The Greater Impact: Hustle, Heart, and a Seat at the Table
Emma’s story is not a startup fairy tale. She’s bridged the distance between celebrity partnerships and real branding and proven that star power alone isn’t enough without product integrity.
People note that SKIMS is unique not just because of celebrity endorsement, but also because it provides quality and value.
She’s a social change agent herself now. As the chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, she’s calling on major retailers to give Black-owned businesses 15% of shelf space.
She and Kim even took home the Amazon Fashion Innovation Award for SKIMS at the CFDA Awards in 2022.
So What’s the Big Advice and Takeaway?
Grede’s existence proves that humility, self-improvement, and self-confidence win against ego and pedigree any day. Her mother’s advice, “you’re no better, no worse”, encouraged her to:
- Be present in every moment, no matter how mundane.
- Respect other people without undervaluing yourself.
- Scale up, with every success and learning episode, growing more confident.
What’s Next for Emma?
Emma is not slowing down. She’s spearheading SKIMS’ moves into physical retail, LA flagship, NY pop-ups, and even worldwide expansion.
Her other ventures, Good American and Safely, are growing. She’s broadening her influence through philanthropy and leadership on diversity matters.
And true to form, at $320 million, she’s still frugal. Recent interviews have shown she’s careful about money, a practice she owes to her working-class roots in East London. Why does this matter to you?
- Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs – Learn wherever you can, even behind the deli counter.
- Leaders – Humility is just as important as confidence. Gardner’s humble confidence is authentic.
- Job applicants – No job is too small. Each experience gives you strength.
- Consumers – Select brands with integrity. SKIMS isn’t hype, it’s heart and quality.
Emma Grede’s story shows that not all life-changing advice is accompanied by a trumpet fanfare, but by the steadfast belief of a mother.
So, next time you find yourself cleaning toilets or sweeping floors, keep in mind: your future boardroom may just come down to it.
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