Kathy Ireland began her career as a supermodel and morphed
into a Super Mogul because women all over America have embraced this designer
and her products. "Our mission at Kathy Ireland Worldwide is to provide
solutions for families, especially busy moms, because that's what I am."
Kathy is a wife and mother, lifestyle designer, Chair and CEO of Kathy Ireland
Worldwide, the firm which directs her business interests, and a Sunday school
teacher. She balances these responsibilities, while leading the brand Women's
Wear Daily named America's 7th most popular. Kathy Ireland was honored by
The National Association of Women Business Owners and received The Entertainment
Businesswoman of the Year Award, and she is the only woman in history to
have an LPGA-sponsored tournament named in her sole honor.
Kathy was inspired to create her products after working with some of the
world's most famous designers. "I wanted to offer fashions and accessories
to women at affordable costs with the style found on the world's most recognized
runways." Out of this desire, the Kathy Ireland Brand was born, exemplifying
Kathy's philosophy of quality merchandise with great style and family-friendly
pricing.
"As a busy mom, finding time to shop is a challenging task,"
explains Kathy, who designs her collections with this in mind. Kathy creates
versatile pieces that make shopping fun and easy for her customer. "My
fashion collections, both in home and apparel, are designed for women
who are time-starved and wise with their money. We should be able to feel
great, have our homes look great, and invest more time and money into
other priorities...such as our families."
Kathy's goal is to change the landscape with her efforts as a designer
for busy families. "I wouldn't be comfortable as a celebrity endorsing
products. My background in modeling alerted me to images that were unrealistic.
It's important that everything under my label carry my personal involvement,"
she explains.
Kathy's home collection features pieces that are comfortable, casual,
family-friendly and compatible with one another. "As our lives and
families change, so should our furniture," says Kathy.
Kathy's inspiration comes from her travels to countries all over the
world. She is especially influenced by Great Britain. As a child, she
visited England, the birthplace of her father, and was influenced by many
of the homes and properties which reflect the richness of the country's
history, particularly Windsor Castle. His Royal Highness The Prince Edward
counseled Kathy and her team on the restoration of Windsor Castle before
the collection was developed.
The Kathy Ireland Home Collection, which includes furniture, rugs, carpet,
lamps, art, and other home accessories, has appeared on A&E, Access
Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, MSNBC, E! and VH1. Her collection also
was named among the Best of Market during its launch in Highpoint, North
Carolina. Soon after, the Discovery Channel asked if Kathy would design
the set and carpeting for their popular home program, The Christopher
Lowell Show.
Even with Kathy's responsibilities caring for her family, designing,
and promoting her collections, she is actively working with various non-profit
organizations. Kathy serves as Honorary Chair for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica
program and participates in walks that draw more than one million participants
in 1400 communities across the country. She was just named by UCLA as
one of the top 10 women's health advocates in America. Kathy 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 Chairperson of Family Services and Parenting
for Athletes and Entertainers for Kids. She is active in her role as Ambassador
for the Special Olympics, and each holiday season, Kathy 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.
Kathy has pioneered the way in bringing this country its first and only
national wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults, the Dream
Foundation. As Dream Ambassador, Kathy represents the Dream Foundation
to corporations, helping to strengthen and build the resources necessary
to make dreams come true for families.
Kathy is responsible for the endowment of the Fellowship Grant Program,
which is awarded annually by the American Paralysis Association to the
leading scientist in the field of spinal cord regeneration. The Fellowship
grants major funding to researchers making strides in the search for a
cure for paralysis.
Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, Kathy was discovered by a scout
from Elite Modeling Agency and by age 17, was traveling the world as a
fashion model. She soon reached "supermodel" fame, appearing
on covers of countless magazines, including Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and
Harper's Bazaar and Sports Illustrated. "Modeling was never my goal.
It was an education and for that, I am grateful," she explains.
As an actress, Kathy most recently appeared on Touched By Angel and Sabrina
the Teenage Witch and starred on stage in Pulitzer Prize winning author
Edward Albee's Three Tall Women. She has signed deals with NBC and Viacom
and is currently developing multiple projects for the network and studio.
In the Holiday 2000 season, Kathy co-starred with Touched By An Angel's
John Dye in the highly successful Once Upon A Christmas for the PAX Network,
produced by His Royal Highness, The Prince Edward. Pre-production has
just begun on Once Upon A Christmas II. Kathy lives in Southern California
with her husband Greg, an emergency room physician, and their three children,
Erik, Lily and Chloe. Kathy Ireland Worldwide is represented exclusively by the
Sterling/Winters Company.
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