Kathy Ireland
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| Kathy Ireland | |
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| Born | Kathleen Marie Ireland March 20, 1963 Glendale, California United States |
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| Occupation | CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Entrepreneur; Lifestyle Designer |
| Spouse | Dr. Greg Olsen |
| Children | Erik, Lily and Chloe |
| Website http://www.kathyireland.com |
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Kathy Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American model, actress, author, and entrepreneur. Kathy Ireland is a wife, mother, Sunday school teacher, and Chief Designer and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide (KIWW), whose mission is “… finding solutions for families, especially busy moms".[1]
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[edit] Biography
Kathy Ireland, named “best friend to working mothers” by the Associated Press and The Times began her career as a supermodel before undergoing a “metamorphosis to Super Mogul” as stated by Readers Digest[1] . She has since gained far greater fame and fortune as the leading lifestyle designer and manufacturer in many fields of home furnishings and fashion. The Today Show stated Kathy is “named one of the top celebrity entrepreneurs, edging out even Oprah Winfrey.”[citation needed]
Kathy Ireland (born Kathleen Marie Ireland on March 20 1963 in Santa Barbara, California) was dubbed by Forbes[2] and Newsweek[3] magazine “supermodel-turned-super mogul who has built a business that generates $1.4 billion in retail sales." She followed her initial acclaim by becoming one of the most successful female entrepreneurs and designers in the world, resulting in her being named as the only woman in Inc magazine’s top five celebrity entrepreneurs. Ireland has an honorary Masters Degree from American InterContinental University. She is Chief Designer and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a design and marketing firm, whose mission is Women’s Wear Daily, acknowledged her Brand as America’s 7th most popular in its category. Kurt Solomon and Associated named Ireland’s Brand as number one in product innovation, number one in percentage increase of customer loyalty and fifth most recognized brand with women 18 to 49.
Ireland’s designs has appeared in a number of magazines including: Cosmopolitan, Glamour, McCalls, People, Redbook, Shape Fit Pregnancy, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair. She has appeared as a guest on MSNBC, CNBC, The Today Show, Oprah, Larry King, Access Hollywood and Main Floor and has had specials on E!, [[VH1] ]and Entertainment Tonight. In addition, she has also been featured in Business Week, Parade, The New York Times and The Washington Post, Forbes, and Inc Magazine.
Internationally, the Kathy Ireland Brand appears in Elle, Hola, Marie Claire, Latina, Cosmopolitan, People Espanol and Harper’s Bazaar. It has received postive reviews from Good Housekeeping, Latina, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Crecer Feliz, People Espanol and Teen People en Espanol.
Kathy Ireland parlayed her modeling career into success in nearly all fields of production and design through her firm Kathy Ireland Worldwide. Business Week reports that her “label offers 15,000 different products.” Kathy Ireland Worldwide is named furniture manufacture of the year by Furniture Today and The National Furniture Bank Association. Her rug and floor coverings business, in association with a company owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, is one of the biggest Brands in that field. She once had a line of clothing sold at a discount channel and has successfully moved it to the independent channel of distribution which is found in over 50,000 doors in 20 countries world wide. Today, Ireland in concert with her Brand Partners produce more than 15,000 collaboratively designed SKUs in furniture, flooring, lighting and accessories, window treatments, home office and entertainment, leather and microfiber, top of bed, bedding, candles, permanent florals, hand painted fine porcelain, wall covering collections (including appliqués), bath accessories, water features, jewelry and apparel. These products celebrate global influences. Her first venture, a company to manufacture socks, recently sold its one hundred millionth pair. She encourages you to vacation everyday with her innovative Style Guides TM, Aloha, Americana, Architectural, La Vida Buena, European Country, In Russian Style, Far East Dreams, and Ivory Coast. Ireland’s diverse business interests include Specialty Brands led by her Design Ambassadors and experts to facilitate the Brand’s mission statement. Acafe by her friend Chef Andre is a Kathy Ireland Brand Solution devoted to food, entertaining and culture. Jardin du Jour (J du J), cultivated by award winning landscape designer Nicholas Walker, is a Kathy Ireland Brand Solution devoted to bringing the outdoors in. Ireland is the author of Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons that Will Change Your Life published by Double Day, which is in its 6th printing. She also authored three children's books entitled An Angel Called Hope, What Do Mommies Do, and Mona’s Favorite Words. She is also the editor of her popular website www.kathyireland.com
Kathy Ireland is also a motivational speaker. She has appeared at the United Nations speaking to the 4th Annual Youth Assembly addressing how to achieve the Eight Millennium Goals. She was the key note speaker at the Office Depot Success Strategies for Women Conference with Dr. Maya Angelou and Barbara Walters and gave the key note address’ for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Awards, Comerica Bank’s Women’s Initiative and the Women in the Millionaire Zone events. She is the godmother of Carnival cruise lines 22nd ship, the M.S. Carnival Freedom
Ireland’s two Christmas movies, Once Upon A Christmas and Twice Upon A Christmas were the highest rated movies for the network and they continue to air every year. Twice Upon A Christmas, received a special screening at the White House and reunited original cast members John Dye and Mary Donnelly Haskell.
Ireland is an advocate on behalf of various non-profit organizations. She is acknowledged by UCLA as one of the top 10 women’s health advocates in America. She is the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) Ambassador for Women’s Health Issues and EIF’s Ambassador for the National Women’s Cancer Research Alliance. She is Ambassador of Hope for the City of Hope and National Chair of Family Services and Parenting for Athletes and Entertainers for Kids. She is active in the Special Olympics, and each holiday season, she partners with Feed The Children and underwrites the distribution of 170,000 pounds of food, clothing and toys to children in need across the nation. She is the National Ambassador for the Help One Up organization whose mission is that no child should have to sleep on the floor. She also serves as National Ambassador for IMom a web community designed to help moms achieve their desire of caring for their children by learning how to grow wise, healthy, purpose-minded relationally-focused children.
[edit] Career
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Ireland has a small number of television and movie acting appearances to her credit, including roles in Side Out, Mr. Destiny, Loaded Weapon 1, Twice Upon A Christmas, and Necessary Roughness. Her first movie - 1988's Alien from L.A. - was mercilessly skewered (as were Ireland's acting abilities and idiosyncratic, squeaky voice) when it appeared on the fifth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. She is the author of Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will Change Your Life.
Ireland says “I’m not an actress. I’ve made the films and Television appearances to prove it.” Clearly Ireland is a savvy entrepreneur with tough negotiating skills. Known for her soft and once high voice, she quietly built an empire with the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. Vanity Fair said she is “A heartland Martha Stewart without the storied bitchiness and felony conviction.” Ireland denies any comparison between herself and Stewart. The similarities are to striking to be merely coincidental. Both women began as models, both held long term agreements with K-mart Corporation. After the retail giant went bankrupt, Ireland quietly and skillfully moved to 50 thousand independent retail stores, leaving Stewart with her Kmart and Macy’s distribution. Insiders say Martha makes magazines and Television shows, Ireland makes money.
Copying Ireland are other celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Jaclyn Smith, Daisy Fuentes and Heidi Klum. Igniting a war of the words between the super models Klum said derisively “Yes, Kathy Ireland is the most successful, but she’s so mass.” Ireland in typical sugar sweet fashion said I think Heidi’s a lovely girl. I wish her well.” One super model that Ireland is known to admire is Tyra Banks. She credits Banks for developing a brand strategy that didn’t copy her own. “Tyra became a force in the world of television. She’s brilliant and innovative. I think she can accomplish whatever she goes after, said Ireland. Ireland’s next grasp is a new manuscript from Howard Books titled REAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY MOMS; YOUR GUIDE TO SUCCESS AND SANITY which will rein down upon all of us in 2009. Like Ireland and her never ending stream of products, it’s sure to be everywhere and probably sell as well as her other designs.
Ireland gently and firmly corrects anyone who dares to call her 15 thousand products line an endorsement, “I can’t give endorsements. Those come from celebrities and I’m not famous.” Incredulously Ireland’s goal seems to be avoiding the red carpet while trying to duke it out with fashion mavens like Liz Claiborne, Calvin Klein and the late Halston. All of whom she ironically out ranks in a recent survey of the worlds 100 most important licenses conducted by License Global Magazine [4]. Ireland showed on the list at a curiously high number 23. “A busy mom can get a lot done if she goes with out sleep,” said Ireland.
She is the only designer in history to make her global travels camouflage her missing design degree. Effectively while no one was paying attention, she changed from her bikini to a business suit covering not only herself but the world with her Style Guides: La Vida Buena, Americana, European Country, Architectural, Aloha, In Russian Style, Ivory Coast and Far East Dreams.
Ireland is the chief designer and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a billion dollar brand product marketing company.[5] She began this industry in a time (pre-2000) when other fashion models were refusing non-model contracts, which allowed her to begin building her industry before pop culture took the fashion industry into model-style fashion industry. Ireland remains an avid public speaker on women's issues.
On March 4, 2007, she was named the Godmother of Carnival Cruise Lines 22nd ship, the M.S. Carnival Freedom
[edit] Personal life
Ireland was born Kathleen Marie Ireland in Santa Barbara, California, daughter of Barbara, who was involved with charitable organizations, and John Ireland, a labor union organizer.[6] Ireland is left-handed. She used to work at Petrini's Italian Restaurant, in Santa Barbara, as a waitress. She is married to Dr. Greg Olsen and lives in Santa Barbara, California, with three children: son Erik born, May 1994, and daughters Lily, born 27 October 1998, and Chloe, born March 2003. She has two sisters: Mary Ireland and Cynthia Ireland.
Ireland has recently become outspoken about being pro-life. On Politically Incorrect, she said that she used to be pro-choice, and said that after reading her husband's biology books, she determined, "At the moment of conception, life starts".
Ireland gave a speech at the 4th Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters on the 13th of August 2007 on a subject of social entrepreneurship and partnerships.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Maria Bartiromo (November, 2006). Born to Sell. Reader's Digest.
- ^ Kiri Blakely (July, 2004). Forbes.
- ^ Creating A New Business Model Newsweek (2006).
- ^ License Global Magazine (April 1, 2008). Top 100 Licensors. License Global Magazine.
- ^ Boone & Kurtz (2007). Contemporary Business 12th Edition. Thomson South-Western.
- ^ Kathy Ireland Biography (1963-)
[edit] Further reading
- Papp, Adrienne (2007-12-01). Kathy Ireland: Supermodel to Super Mom and Entrepreneur. Celeb Staff. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
[edit] External links
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