Not just Kim K: Who is the fashion power couple behind Skims? Meet Emma and Jens Grede who co-founded hit celebrity brands with Tom Brady and the Kardashians – with Kylie Jenner rumoured to be next

Oct 27 , 2023

Emma and Jens Grede are fashion powerhouses behind many successful celebrity apparel brands. Photo: @emmagrede/Instagram

The Gredes are entrepreneurs, investors and tastemakers all in one, and they seem unstoppable – from co-founding Good American with Khloé Kardashian in 2016 to Kim K’s US$4 billion brand Skims

Emma became the first Black female shark in season 13 of Shark Tank while Jens created Brady with the NFL star – and the couple lives in a lavish home in Bel Air with their four children

Behind the glitz and glamour of celebrity apparel brands like Skims, Good American and Brady, there’s a powerhouse couple with a résumé and investment portfolio worth millions.

Emma and Jens Grede are founders, investors and tastemakers in the fashion industry with connections from London to Hollywood. The European couple has co-founded seven brands between them. According to Crunchbase, their most successful brand, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and apparel label Skims, has raised US$701 million in total venture capital and was last valued at US$4 billion.

Jens and Emma Grede co-founded Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand Skims. Photo: @emmagrede/Instagram

The serial entrepreneurs position themselves at the cutting edge of popular culture and that’s become one of the secrets to their success, according to fashion journalist Lauren Sherman. “A big part of their approach is to move with the culture and that they are incredibly ambitious when it comes to that mission,” she wrote for the newsletter site Puck.

Next up, the serial entrepreneurs are rumoured to be behind the mysterious fast-fashion brand that Kim K’s sister Kylie Jenner is building.

Here’s a timeline of the Gredes’ lives, careers and brands they’ve built over the years.

Emma Grede grew up in London and had an interest in fashion early on

Emma Grede got interested in fashion at a young age. Photo: @emmagrede/Instagram

Emma, now 41, grew up in East London, England, with a single mum and three sisters. Her maiden name was Findlay. At 12 years old, she started working odd jobs and bought fashion magazines with her earnings.

“As a kid I used to save my pocket money to buy Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire,” she told the Evening Standard. “I was always scraping around to find £7.50 for all three. I’d cut out every advert and file them by designer.”

She studied at the London College of Fashion but dropped out for financial reasons. She interned at Gucci and worked for a fashion production company that hosted shows during London Fashion Week.

Jens Grede grew up in Sweden and wanted to be a skateboarder

Jens Grede is Swedish. Photo: Getty Images