Kathy Ireland
Kathleen Marie Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American actress, author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist, and former fashion model.[2][3][4] Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s, initially known for appearing in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, including three covers.[4] In 1993, she founded a brand licensing company, kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW), which has made her one of the wealthiest former models in the world.[3][5][6] As a result of her career in business, she earned a $420 million personal fortune by 2015.[7] In 2021 alone, her company generated retail sales of $3.1 billion.[8] The brand became ranked number 15 in the world and Ireland entered the Licensing Hall of Fame.[9]
Kathy Ireland
Early life[edit]
Kathy Ireland was born in Glendale, California, the middle child of three daughters. Ireland's parents are John and Barbara Ireland, a labor relationships executive and a nurse, respectively. The family moved to Santa Barbara, where they continue to live today.[10]
Modeling, film and television career[edit]
Modeling[edit]
When Ireland was sixteen in 1979, she was scouted at her high school by Elite Model Management.[11]
She has appeared on covers for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Shape Fitness, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Teen and Seventeen.[12] Forbes,[3] and Mademoiselle.[13]
According to Ireland, a photographer once "crossed the line" with her when she was a teenager and wanted her to pose topless. She did not feel comfortable and he did not respect her "no." He reportedly pushed her and got physical and she "decked him."[14]
During Sports Illustrated swimsuit's 50th Anniversary event, Ireland's 1989 cover was awarded "The Greatest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Of All Time" by its publisher.[15]
Ireland's successful transformation from a cover girl to a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur has been explicitly cited as inspiring by several active fashion models. After appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 2012, in a subsequent Today show interview, Kate Upton stated that she would like to follow in the footsteps of other cover girls, specifically Heidi Klum and Ireland.[16] Three years later, in an interview with Matt Lauer, Hannah Jeter, the 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model, likewise stated that she "would like to model [her] career after someone like Kathy Ireland."[17]
Film and television[edit]
Ireland has appeared in a number of television and film roles. Her first film, 1988's Alien from L.A., was later featured during the fifth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.[18]
Ireland's other appearances include Melrose Place, Boy Meets World, The Larry Sanders Show, Muppets Tonight, Side Out, Mr. Destiny, Necessary Roughness, Mom and Dad Save the World, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Once Upon a Christmas, and its sequel Twice Upon a Christmas.
She also participated in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, where Ireland and her partner Tony Dovolani were the third couple eliminated in the second week of competition. Kathy has two TV series, Worldwide Business and Modern Living, which air on Fox Business and Bloomberg.[19]
In 2016, she made an appearance in the sixth episode of the fourth season of The Profit, offering advice for the CEO of Murchison-Hume, Max Kater.[20][21]
Entrepreneurship[edit]
Kathy Ireland Worldwide[edit]
Founded in 1993 as a brand marketing firm in an exclusive business relationship with Kmart, Kathy Ireland Worldwide (or kiWW, for short) became a global licensor after cutting its ties to the department store chain in 2003. In 2019, it stood at No. 26 on License Global's "Top 150 Global Licensors" 2019 list with $2.6 billion in retail sales.[22]
