Good Vibrations

With megabrands including Skims and Good American, London-born entrepreneur Emma Grede is driving vital conversations in style, diversity and philanthropy

- Laurie Brookins

IN A WORLD dominated by email communications, Emma Grede still prefers to pick up the phone. That’s not surprising to anyone who knows this London-born entrepreneur, who sees opportunity almost as quickly as she speaks in her rapid-fire style. And when she sets her sights on a goal, waiting for a “yes” via the Internet isn’t the option she favors, especially as she possesses a contact roster most A-listers would envy.

Since 2015, each one of Grede’s goals has focused on solving a problem. A fashion and talent-management veteran, the 40-year-old Grede was among the first to spark a conversation about the massive disconnect between fashion-industry sizing and the flesh-and-blood women who craved high-end style beyond a size 12. The result: Good American, a denim website launched in October 2016. “In the early days of Good American, there was absolutely zero body diversity on any website, so I said, ‘We’re going to represent a curvy body, and we’re going to do it better than anyone else,’ ” Grede says. As proof of her concept’s success, Good American’s sales reached $1 million on its first day.