Kathy Ireland never dreamed of becoming a model. In fact, she’s a self-described tomboy.
“I walked like a clod. I was a beach rat with split ends. My face was always fried,” she recalls while laughing. Her parents, John and Barbara Ireland, gave her a modeling course as a gift for her 16th birthday. “I think they thought it might give me a little poise.”
When a scout from Elite Model Management discovered her there and offered her a modeling gig in New York City, no one was more surprised than Ireland. “I had one eyebrow — one big, fat eyebrow,” she laughs. And Ireland didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay in California and work hard, but be able to spend the summer with her friends on the beach. In the end, she decided to take it. “I thought it could be a chance to save money for college or start a business,” she says.
Even though her modeling career would last for some time, Ireland always had one thought in mind: starting her own business. As a child, she painted rocks and sold them from a wagon. For years, she worked as a newspaper carrier and even won an award for it. Her parents had always encouraged her business efforts and wanted her to think big.
Finding Her Passion
Photos Courtesy of Jon Carrasco
While she traveled the world modeling, including appearing on three covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Ireland was thinking of her future. She tried a skincare business, a passion of hers. Although she loved the product, she realized she wasn’t working with the right people. Ireland then got involved in a microbrewery and even tried making beer.
“I thought the first batch was pretty good. The next batch tasted like a science project,” she admits. “But what I learned was that I didn’t have a passion for beer. You’ve got to have a passion for what you do because a lot of days are 24/7 ones, and you have to love it. I want to bring my heart with me everywhere I go, and I just couldn’t fill my heart with beer.”
During the shoot for her last SI cover, Ireland was pregnant with her and husband Greg’s son, Erik, now 28. Her modeling career had gone on for longer than she intended. Although she enjoyed the adventures and the travel, she was ready to leave modeling and start her own business.
Ironically, as she was contemplating a career change, she was offered another modeling job by John and Marilyn Moretz, who were among America’s most prestigious sock makers at the time. They offered her a gig modeling their socks.
A lightbulb went off with Ireland.
Everyone needed socks. And they liked them. Around her kitchen table, Ireland started her first brand.
Putting One Foot in Front of the Other
Along with Greg and friend Jon Carrasco, Ireland got to work. With the help of a personal loan, they developed their type of sock. Their first focus group was basically Kathy and Greg wearing one of their socks on one foot and a different brand of sock on the other. They’d go backpacking and see which one felt better. Greg, who then worked as an ER physician, would wear them during shifts.
When they finally got the sock they wanted, they hit the road to sell their product.
For a while, Ireland admits, they had a lot of doors slammed in their faces. “They didn’t care about our socks. They said it was a stupid idea. I heard, ‘You can’t start a brand with a pair of socks,’” she says. When she would ask why, the response was, “It’s never been done.” Her reply became, “It’s never been done, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
Determined, she forged ahead. “When you believe in something, you’ve got to fight to do it,” Ireland explains. “And there were days in the beginning when we’d sleep in airports to save money.”
Learning a Big Lesson
Finally, some retailers started working with them. Ireland recalls that in the beginning, their socks were being sold in a handful of sporting goods stores. Then, Kmart started selling them.
In time, Kmart asked for exclusivity at their channel of distribution. “So we grew our brands there,” says Ireland. “We grew it to include a complete line of apparel and accessories.” While her brand and company, kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW) grew, they were aligned with one company — Kmart.
One day, Ireland received a phone call saying that the company was having some challenges. Next came their bankruptcy announcement in 2002. “At that time, we had 37 team members with families on our payroll, and they were our only client,” says Ireland. “Our company was responsible for the entire liability if this didn’t work out. They could take our homes — from me and my business partners. I really should have known better.”
What she learned from that experience, a lesson which has become the backbone of kiWW, is diversification. “We had already made plans to expand the brand into the home arena,” she says. “Kmart was well covered in home. We needed to make plans to go elsewhere for that category, but we certainly weren’t going to walk away when this retailer was going through these challenges.”
kiWW stayed with Kmart while developing their brand. Although it was a stressful time, everything worked out — both with Kmart and the brand expansion. “It ended up launching us into great growth that we might not have otherwise done, and it taught us important lessons about diversification.
Did it ever. Today, kiWW offerings include: fashion for women, men and children; intimate apparel; accessories; fine jewelry; wedding and resorts; skincare (this time with the right people); cosmetics; furniture; lighting; flooring; décor; cookware; appliances for homes and offices worldwide; insurance; telemedicine; recovery centers; merchant services; fintech, investment strategies; real estate; hospitality; comfort care for pets; nutraceuticals; supplements; recreation and adventures designs for Camping World, led by CEO Marcus Lemonis.
But wait, there’s more. kiWW is also involved in entertainment and sports including publishing, film, television, music, artist and athlete management.
Always Serving
When asked if she ever sleeps, Ireland laughs. “I think not enough.” Luckily for her, the business is all about working together and serving the public. “I’m so grateful for our teamwork. And our team is diversified. Our senior team member will be 100 years-old this year. We’ve also got our Gen Z’s, millennials and our team members who have been with me from the very beginning,” she says. This includes Jon Carrasco, who helped develop that first brand and has been kiWW’s Worldwide Creative Director since its start.
Ireland’s hard work has paid off. kiWW is the highest-ranking woman-owned licensing business in American history. She’s the youngest person elected to the Licensing International Hall of Fame. She’s won the Icon Award from the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association. And during their 34-year marriage, she and Greg have raised three children: Erik, Lily (23) and Chloe (19).
Looking back over her successful licensing career, Ireland reflects, “With every failure there have been lessons. Don’t assume. Not everyone will be on the same page as us. Diversification — that was a big one for us,” she says. “I’m not afraid of failing. When you love what you do, you can persevere. You get back up.”
When Ireland initially began expanding her brand, she worked with a lot of independent businesses — also called “Mom and Pop” retailers. “People say it’s not smart business, but it works for us. It sure makes life a lot more enjoyable. We have a lot of really good relationships with people we’ve been in business with for decades now,” Ireland says.
And they all agree in kiWW’s vision statement: teach, inspire and empower.
“Make our world better. We take that very seriously,” Ireland adds.
So seriously, in fact, that when the company vets a prospective partner, Ireland says they show them their 10 Millennial Development Goals, which include everything from fighting poverty and hunger to supporting education and environmental issues. She doesn’t require that they donate money to help make a difference. The partners can hold volunteer days with their teams to be of service. “The point is that if we’re going to work together, we’re going to honor the part of our business statement that says we’re making our world better,” she explains. If they won’t do it, kiWW will walk.
“We work with incredible people, and the biggest common thread is being of service,” Ireland said, referring to their customers and to the world. “I give my heart to everything we do.”