P RO F I L E
Supermodel, designer, author, wife, CEO. Kathy Ireland is all of these, but her favorite title is Mom. “I love watching them find their way in the world,’’ she says of her children, ages 11, 15 and 19. Ireland was an “aging” supermodel and pregnant with her first child in 1993 when she found a new career path. She nixed a sock company's pitch to model a new line with a counterproposal to join forces to make and sell Kathy Ireland socks. Today, she is CEO and chief designer for kathy ireland Worldwide, a design and marketing empire for lifestyle products carried by thousands of retailers including Nebraska Furniture Mart. Ireland owes her retail start, in part, to NFM’s Irv Blumkin. “I was so nervous to meet him,’’ she recalls. Through Blumkin, she became acquainted with Warren Buffett. His advice: Stick with what you know. She has, with fashion, family, pets, bridal and home at her entrepreneurial core. Signing with NFM, she says, gave her the break she needed in a competitive market. “Irv Blumkin understood that I wasn’t a celebrity on the brand.”
A CLOSE-UP WITH
K ATHY IRELAND In an ILO exclusive, America's supermodel-turned-supermogul chats about loyalty, sweatshops and valued Omaha connections. TEXT BY CHRIS CHRISTEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY BEBEE
Her business advice? “Invest in people who work for you ... When you treat people as you would want your family to be treated, it’s easy to be successful.” Loyalty is seen in her management team. “Most of us have been together for 26 years.” Ireland is all about brand solutions for moms, and relies on frank feedback from consumers to improve her products. Her family gets into the act, too. “Our home is a crazy lab. The kids jump on the furniture and spill things on the carpets.” When she visits retail partners, she fights for floor space, arguing
that moms need good shopping experiences. Her soapbox: Human trafficking. “It’s a powerful, concerning event worldwide. You have to be so diligent in the manufacturing business. Parents are selling their children to work in sweatshops, even in our country.” (Ireland was recently named Ambassador for YWCA Greater Los Angeles and was a speaker at the organization's groundbreaking symposium on human trafficking.) Ireland was an entrepreneur long before she was a model. In her youth in Santa Barbara, she peddled hand-painted stones and handmade jewelry and handbags at art fairs and on beaches. She was 11 and delivering newspapers when her father gave her advice that would serve her well in business throughout her life: “If they expect the newspaper in the driveway, put it on the porch.” Actress and style icon Elizabeth Taylor was a mentor. She encouraged boldness with the Kathy Ireland brand. Upon her death, Taylor’s cherished pooches, Gracie and Dahlia, joined four other dogs in the Ireland household.
WHAT SHE’S READING Daily, the Bible. In her leisure, “When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. WHAT SHE COULD USE MORE OF “Sleep. I’m not getting enough of it in this season of my life.” STRESS-BUSTERS Surfing, hiking, family time. EVERY HOME NEEDS Love. Peace. Forgiveness.
We caught up with Kathy Ireland in May during a social media party at NFM. Ireland was in town for the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. She's a frequent attendee, saying that she enjoys the chance to socialize with the Blumkin family, describing them as “very good friends."
60 JULY/AUGUST 2014