Good American is the denim brand Emma Grede and Khloé Kardashian launched in October 2016 on one idea: jeans should fit women across the full size range, from 00 to 24. It became the first of Grede’s celebrity-partnered companies, and the blueprint for her later role at Skims. This is the documented story, with the figures that the company itself has published and what they do and do not show.
How did Good American start?
Good American started as a size-inclusive premium denim label with a famous co-founder and an operator running the business. Its December 2016 release says the pair launched it in October 2016 and that it “reached one million dollars in sales on its first day of release.” The same release claimed it was “the biggest denim launch in apparel history,” a company claim that no independent tally we found has tested.
The launch range was deliberately small. It “debuted with three key styles,” the release said: Good Legs, a skinny jean; Good Cuts, a tailored boyfriend fit; and Good Waist, a high-waisted skinny that had sold out twice.
The founders and their roles
Kardashian brought the audience; Grede runs the company. A January 2025 release names Grede as “Co-Founder & CEO of Good American,” and Forbes describes her as Good American’s cofounder and CEO. In a June 2026 release for her fragrance line, Kardashian describes Good American as the inclusive fashion brand she co-founded “to redefine industry standards for body diversity.”
Grede’s background is not celebrity. Forbes reports she grew up in East London, raised by a single mother, and started a paper route at 12 to buy fashion magazines. Her net worth, which Forbes last estimated at $405M as of June 3, 2025, comes mostly from her Skims stake rather than Good American.
The Good American business model
The brand sells premium denim and apparel through its own website and selected retail partners. At launch, the company said it was available “at goodamerican.com and a selected Nordstrom stores in sizes 00-24.” That combination, direct sales plus a single prestige department-store partner, gave the brand direct customer relationships online plus department-store shelf space.
Product drops were the second lever. In December 2016 the company said that from early 2017 it would “drop new product on a bi-weekly basis, while maintaining the bestselling styles for as long as they can keep them in stock.” Frequent drops give social followers a reason to return; core styles give retail buyers predictable stock.
The third lever was marketing. Grede said in the launch release that the founders believed in “creating the full size range and marketing our brand using a diverse mix of amazing women.” Casting a range of body types was the advertising message, not a side campaign.
Milestones on the record
| Date | Milestone (source) |
|---|---|
| October 2016 | Launch; first-day sales of one million dollars (company) |
| Early 2017 | Planned move to bi-weekly drops (company) |
| By January 2025 | $250 million in global sales; B-Corp certified (release) |
| June 2026 | Kardashian still cites it as her co-founded brand (release) |
The $250 million figure is cumulative sales since launch, as the release frames it, not yearly revenue, and we found no published profit, funding or valuation figures for the company. A B Corp is a company certified by the nonprofit B Lab as meeting its social and environmental standards.
What went right, as reported
- A specific product promise. Kardashian’s launch quote was concrete: a product that “works on a girl who’s size 00 and looks equally great in a size 24.”
- Operator plus celebrity. The famous co-founder drove launch attention, while Grede held the CEO role.
- Scarcity and restocks. A short range that sold out, followed by frequent drops, kept demand visible.
- A repeatable template. Skims, where Grede is founding partner, launched in 2019 on a similar inclusive-sizing pitch, in sizes “from XXS to 5XL,” according to Fortune.
Why the celebrity-operator split matters
A common risk with celebrity brands is expecting the famous founder to run operations too. Good American’s public structure separates those jobs. Kardashian supplies visibility and launch attention, while Grede holds the chief executive title and the accountability that comes with it. For founders weighing a celebrity partner, the question to settle early is who owns the profit-and-loss statement, the document that tracks revenue against costs, and Good American answered it by giving that job to Grede.
What is not known
Good American is private. We found no published annual revenue, profit or ownership split, and no reputable report of an outside funding round or valuation. Founders reading this story should treat the company’s own claims, such as “biggest denim launch,” as marketing statements rather than audited facts. Grede discusses her approach to leadership in her book “Start With Yourself,” which Forbes covered in April 2026.
Founder lessons from Good American
Start narrow: three jeans, one clear fit promise. Put the customer you are serving into the marketing itself. Pair reach with someone whose full-time job is the business. And document results in a way outsiders can check; the brand’s lasting figures are the ones it published in releases. For how the same founder team scaled that model, read the Skims valuation story, and for a beauty founder who chose full ownership instead, see Huda Kattan’s 2025 buyback from TSG.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Good American?
Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede launched Good American in October 2016, according to the company. Grede is co-founder and CEO.
How much did Good American sell on its first day?
Its December 2016 release put first-day sales at one million dollars.
How big is Good American?
A January 2025 release said Good American had achieved $250 million in global sales. That figure is cumulative company sales, not annual revenue or profit.
What sizes does Good American make?
At launch it sold denim in sizes 00-24, and the founders said a full size range was central to the brand.
Is Good American owned by Khloe Kardashian?
She is a co-founder. The company has not published its ownership split, so the size of each founder’s stake is not public.
Sources
- Good American, Co-Founded by Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede, is the Biggest Denim Launch in history — Good American via PR Newswire (CNW), December 6, 2016
- NFL Announces Collaboration With Kristin Juszczyk, Emma Grede and Fanatics to Launch Apparel Brand ‘Off Season’ — PR Newswire, January 7, 2025
- Emma Grede profile — Forbes, June 3, 2025 (last updated)
- Khloé Kardashian Captures Vacation in a Bottle With the Debut of XO Blue in Partnership With Luxe Brands — Luxe Brands via PR Newswire, June 10, 2026
- Kim Kardashian’s Skims is now worth $5 billion after a massive $225 million funding round led by Goldman Sachs — Fortune, November 12, 2025
This article is general information for founders and is not accounting, legal or investment advice. Net worth figures are estimates published by the outlets named, on the dates shown. They are not disclosed by the people profiled, they move with markets and private valuations, and different publications reach different numbers. Found Founders is not affiliated with anyone profiled here.