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Shark Tank returns to ABC for its 13th Season on Oct. 8 and the long-running series will be making its debut in a historic way. Good American and SKIMS co-founder, Emma Grede will join returning Sharks Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner as a guest host. Grede will be the first Black female entrepreneur to serve as a guest host on the show.
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The busy entrepreneur is a founding partner in Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line SKIMS and she co-founded the all-inclusive denim brand Good American in 2016 alongside Kim’s sister Khloe Kardashian. The company recently made headlines for attempting to release their racy “Find the One” campaign video that features Khloe topless while sporting a pair of the brand’s latest jeans.
The 38-year-old Brit previously spoke to Elle UK about building Good American with diversity in mind.
‘I’ve been doing celebrity partnerships for a long time, and I started to realize that a lot of what I was being asked to do was to put together very ‘diverse’ campaigns. Oftentimes, I would cast women [in a campaign] for a brand that didn’t make clothes that would fit them,’ Grede explained.
‘I thought, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we created a company where we made clothes for every woman, and the company looked exactly like the ‘diverse’ campaign, with me at the helm, a Black woman?”, and it worked,’ she added.
According to Glamour, the concept behind Good American came to Grede when she started her own marketing agency, ITB Worldwide, at just 24-years-old. Now, the company boasts a wide range of inclusive styles and has generated an incredible number of sales. Upon its debut in 2016, the brand made $1 million with Grede at the helm.
The East London native is also a Board Member and Ambassador for the feminist non-profit, Women for Women International, which helps to empower women in conflict-affected countries. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Revenue & Advancement Committee.
On Friday’s season premiere, Grede will help the five Sharks take pitches from four entrepreneurs who are looking to gain investments from the stars to help back their burgeoning businesses.
According to Pop Culture, budding businessman Patrick Robinson will pitch his clothing company Paskho. Philomina Kane takes on the panel of Sharks to seek investment for her company Kin, a haircare brand focusing on Black haircare. She also makes protective headgear, including hoodies, beanies, and satin-lined hats. William and Kristen Schumacher will also pitch their brand Uprising, a low-carb superfood company. “The last entrepreneur featured in the premiere is Lerin Lockwood, who established the jewelry company Lion Latch,” the outlet notes.
Will you be tuning in to watch Grede make her historic debut?
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