Good American
Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede's size-inclusive denim brand. $1 million on day one, $200M+ by year six, and the pair that forced Nordstrom to put every size on the same rack.
Good American generated $1 million in sales on its first day in October 2016, making it the biggest denim launch in apparel history. By 2022, the brand had crossed $200 million in annual revenue with sizes 00 through 32+ on the same rack in every store, at a time when most premium denim brands still treated anything above a size 14 as a separate, lesser category.
The brand has two founders, but the one running the business is not the Kardashian. Emma Grede, who dropped out of the London College of Fashion because she could not afford the fees, serves as CEO and holds a 23% ownership stake. She is also a founding partner and CPO of Skims with an 8% stake, and co-founder of Safely with Kris Jenner. Forbes named her one of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, with an estimated net worth of $360 million across all three companies.
At a glance:
| Founded | October 2016 |
| Founders | Khloé Kardashian, Emma Grede |
| CEO | Emma Grede |
| Ownership | Grede holds 23%; Kardashian’s stake undisclosed |
| Annual revenue (2022) | $200M+ (up 30% year-over-year) |
| Employees | ~100 |
| Retailers | goodamerican.com, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s (2025), Revolve, Net-a-Porter |
| Flagship store | Westfield Century City, Los Angeles (June 2023) |
| Certifications | B Corp (2021, score 85.7 vs. median 50.9) |
The Story
In 2015, Emma Grede approached Kris Jenner at Paris Fashion Week with an idea for a size-inclusive denim brand, specifically wanting to partner with Khloé. The following week she flew to Los Angeles with a PowerPoint she had made on the plane: a manifesto, some images pulled from the internet, and a bad placeholder name. She had never met the Kardashians before.
Khloé was the right partner because she had spent years living the problem the brand was trying to solve. When Keeping Up with the Kardashians started airing, she was immediately labeled “the fat sister” by tabloids and audiences. At a size 30/31, many stores did not carry her size, and she had to special-order jeans while her friends shopped freely. “When I was bigger, a lot of places didn’t carry my size,” she said. “People went, ‘Uh! What size are you?’ I was like, ‘Screw you, you just made me feel like shit.’”
Good American launched on October 18, 2016 with three styles (Good Legs, Good Cuts, Good Waist) in sizes 00 to 24, available on goodamerican.com and at select Nordstrom locations. It sold $1 million on its first day, and the Good Waist style sold out twice. The best-selling sizes at Nordstrom were 0, 14, and 16, which proved from the very first day that the demand existed across the entire size spectrum and not only at the ends the industry had always prioritized.
Grede’s background explains why the operations worked. She grew up in Plaistow, East London, raised by a single mother with three younger sisters. She dropped out of fashion school because she could not afford the fees, got her start in fashion show production, and co-founded ITB Worldwide, a talent management and entertainment marketing agency, in 2008 at age 26. She sold it to Rogers & Cowan in 2018. Her husband, Jens Grede, co-founded denim brand Frame and is also a co-founder of Skims. Together, the Gredes are the business infrastructure behind multiple Kardashian-branded consumer companies.
The Strategy
Every size on the same rack
Good American’s founding requirement was that every retailer had to merchandise all sizes together, with no separate “plus” section. Grede walked away from at least one major retailer that wanted to carry only a limited size range, turning down the revenue to protect the positioning. Nordstrom credited Good American with changing its entire approach to size-inclusive merchandising, with EVP Tricia Smith saying the brand’s approach “really resonated” because of how inclusive it was. At a time when 68% of American women wore above a size 14, most premium denim brands topped out at a 12.
Invented a size that didn’t exist
In September 2018, Good American introduced size 15 after discovering that sizes 14 and 16 had 50% more returns than any other sizes in their range. The gap between “straight” sizing and “plus” sizing left millions of women in between, and no other denim brand had bothered to address it. Size 15 now ranks as one of the brand’s three or four best-selling sizes.
Denim to everything
Good American started as a jeans brand and stayed that way for nearly two years before expanding into activewear in August 2018, swimwear in June 2020 (now the brand’s second-largest category), and footwear shortly after (now the third-largest category). Each expansion followed customer demand rather than trend chasing, with swimwear being the brand’s most-requested category before it launched. The brand also became B Corp certified in 2021 with 70% of its denim collections made from responsible materials including organic and recycled cotton.
Jeans that fit four sizes at once
Good American’s “Always Fits” line, launched in October 2020, uses four-way stretch denim where a single pair adapts to fit up to four sizes within a size group (00 to 4, 6 to 12, 14 to 18, 20 to 26, 28 to 32). The technology addresses the reality that most women’s weight fluctuates, and it reduces the return rates that plague online denim sales.
The Numbers
| Year | Estimated Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 (Oct–Dec) | Not disclosed | $1M on day one; partial year |
| 2021 | ~$154M | Implied from 30% growth to 2022 |
| 2022 (mid-year) | $130M run-rate | Fortune, June 2022 |
| 2022 (full year) | $200M+ | Entrepreneur, confirmed 30% YoY growth |
Revenue figures before 2021 have not been publicly confirmed by the company. E-commerce data aggregators show widely varying estimates for DTC-only sales, but the $200 million figure from Entrepreneur in March 2023 is the most credible confirmed number and includes both wholesale and direct-to-consumer revenue.
Funding: Good American raised one undisclosed round in January 2019 from Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) and Imaginary Ventures. The amount was never publicly confirmed.
Retail expansion: The brand launched at Macy’s in spring 2025 across 36 stores, expanding to 79 doors for fall 2025, marking its first move into the mid-market department store tier. Grede opened the brand’s first flagship store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles in June 2023, with plans for additional locations.
Controversies
Nordstrom “Black-Owned” listing
Nordstrom listed Good American in its “Black-Owned” section because co-founder Emma Grede is biracial, with Jamaican and Trinidadian heritage on her father’s side. Social media users questioned the listing, arguing that the face of the brand is Khloé Kardashian, a white woman, and that the designation took visibility from smaller Black-owned brands that needed the exposure more.
Kardashian-Grede rift
As of early 2026, Khloé Kardashian has not posted about Good American since August 2024, has unfollowed Emma Grede on Instagram, and the brand is no longer linked in her Instagram bio. Sources close to the founders say their “working relationship fizzled out” and they “aren’t close” anymore. Kardashian has confirmed she remains a “co-founder and owner” but is not involved in strategy or operations, focusing instead on her podcast and her popcorn brand, Khloud. Whether the brand can sustain its growth without its celebrity co-founder’s active involvement is the same question that hangs over every celebrity brand: what happens when the famous person walks away?
What You Can Learn
The operator matters more than the celebrity. Emma Grede built ITB Worldwide, sold it, then co-founded Good American and Skims simultaneously. Khloé Kardashian brought the audience and the personal story, but the business runs because Grede runs it. This is the same pattern behind Fenty Beauty (Kendo as the operator), Rare Beauty (Scott Friedman from NYX), and Rhode (Nick Vlahos). The celebrity opens the door, but the operator keeps the business standing.
Serve the customers your industry ignores. Sixty-eight percent of American women wear above a size 14, and before Good American, almost every premium denim brand topped out at a 12. The same principle made Fenty Beauty a $570 million first-year brand: find the people waving money that nobody is taking, and take it. If an entire demographic is being told their money is not worth the trouble, that is a market, not a charity.
Walk away from revenue that undermines your positioning. Grede turned down a major retailer that wanted to carry only a limited size range. That decision cost money in the short term and built credibility that no advertising campaign could have bought. Every online business faces moments where a deal, a partnership, or a customer request would bring in revenue at the cost of the thing that makes the brand worth buying from.
Solve the problem between the sizes. Good American found that sizes 14 and 16 had 50% more returns than any other size and responded by inventing size 15. The lesson is not about denim. It is about paying attention to where your customers are struggling and building something for the gap, even if no one in your industry has acknowledged the gap exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Good American?
Emma Grede holds a 23% ownership stake and serves as CEO. Khloé Kardashian’s exact stake has never been publicly disclosed. Alliance Consumer Growth and Imaginary Ventures are investors from a 2019 round.
How much is Good American worth?
The company’s valuation has not been publicly confirmed by a credible financial publication. Revenue crossed $200 million in 2022, but no official valuation from a funding round or acquisition has been disclosed.
What sizes does Good American carry?
Sizes 00 through 32+ across denim, swim, activewear, and most other categories. The brand also carries size 15, which it introduced in 2018 to fill the gap between straight and plus sizing. The “Always Fits” line uses stretch denim that adapts to fit up to four sizes per pair.
Is Good American a Kardashian brand?
Good American was co-founded by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede in 2016, but Grede has run the company as CEO from day one. As of early 2026, Kardashian is no longer actively involved in operations or marketing, though she remains a co-founder and owner.
Is Good American sustainable?
Good American became B Corp certified in 2021 with an overall impact score of 85.7, compared to a median of 50.9. Seventy percent of its denim collections are made with responsible materials including organic and recycled cotton, and the brand partners with Turkish mill Calik Denim for water-saving wash processes.
Who is Emma Grede?
British businesswoman from East London who co-founded Good American (CEO, 23% stake), Skims (founding partner, 8% stake), and Safely (with Kris Jenner, 22% stake). She was the first Black female guest investor on Shark Tank and is married to Jens Grede, co-founder of denim brand Frame and co-founder of Skims. Forbes has named her one of America’s Richest Self-Made Women with an estimated net worth of $360 million.
Who founded Good American?
Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede co-founded Good American in October 2016. Grede pitched the idea to Kris Jenner at Paris Fashion Week in 2015 and flew to Los Angeles the following week with a PowerPoint built on the plane. Grede has run the company as CEO from day one, while Kardashian brought the audience and the personal experience of being labeled “the fat sister” by tabloids at a size 30/31.
When was Good American founded?
Good American launched on October 18, 2016 with three styles in sizes 00 to 24, available on goodamerican.com and at select Nordstrom locations. It generated $1 million in sales on its first day, the biggest denim launch in apparel history, and the Good Waist style sold out twice.
Sources
- Entrepreneur, “Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede Drove $200 Million In Annual Sales,” March 2023. Revenue figures, employee count, size expansion timeline.
- Fortune, “Meet the female executive behind three Kardashian brands,” June 2022. Emma Grede’s background, $130M revenue run-rate, company operations.
- Fortune, “Self-made millionaire Emma Grede says it all began with a cold call to Kris Jenner,” September 2025. Founding story, Paris Fashion Week pitch.
- PR Newswire, “Good American is the Biggest Denim Launch in History,” December 2016. First-day sales, launch details, founder quotes.
- Retail Dive, “Good American denim brand logs $1M in first-day sales,” December 2016. Independent confirmation of $1M launch-day revenue.
- Time, “Khloe Kardashian’s New Denim Line Claps Back at Fat Shamers,” October 2016. Kardashian’s body-shaming experience, personal quotes.
- Fashionista, “Good American ‘Invents’ Size 15,” September 2018. Size 15 introduction, return rate data.
- Sourcing Journal, “Good American Earns B Corp Status,” October 2021. B Corp certification, sustainability practices.
- Bustle, “Nordstrom’s Size Inclusive Expansion Is A Win For Body Positive Fashion”. Nordstrom merchandising changes, Tricia Smith quotes, best-selling sizes.
- Macy’s Inc., “Good American Launches at Macy’s,” 2025. Macy’s expansion, store count.
- Complex, “Khloe Kardashian Reportedly Less Involved With Good American,” 2026. Kardashian-Grede rift details.
- Newsweek, “Rumors Say Khloe Kardashian Quit Her Multimillion Dollar Brand,” February 2026. Kardashian’s current involvement, Instagram activity.
- Black Enterprise, “Why Khloe Kardashian’s Good American is Listed in Nordstrom’s ‘Black-Owned’ Section”. Nordstrom Black-Owned listing controversy.
- Essence, “Emma Grede Made History As Shark Tank’s First Black Woman Investor”. Grede’s Shark Tank appearance, biographical details.
- FashionNetwork, “Good American opens first flagship store in Los Angeles,” June 2023. Flagship store opening.