Ireland has been building her brand since 1993, when she founded Kathy Ireland Worldwide.
Ireland was exposed to entrepreneurship and a good work ethic early in life. Her mother sold Avon cosmetics, cleaned houses, babysat and later went to school to study nursing. Her father worked for a retail clerks union and took the family to rallies with labor leader Cesar Chavez.
She went into modeling at 17 but said she never felt it was her calling. Ireland said she wonders if being a model made Trouwjurk Lange Mouw some people take her less seriously as an entrepreneur. Still, she's grateful for the experience.
''It exposed me to the best designers in the world, to people of all different cultures," said Ireland. ''But I felt like I was a business person already when I started.''
After much rejection, Kathy Ireland Worldwide's first product was socks, which were sold exclusively by Kmart. When Kmart fell on hard times and declared bankruptcy in 2002, it hurt her business.
She learned that it was not a good business move to have one product with one company.
''We expanded the brand to include a whole line of apparel and accessories, but we quickly learned that it was not good to have one channel of distribution,'' she said.
Hitting the big time
Today, Kathy Ireland Worldwide works with a variety of companies, such as Mon Cheri Bridals and flooring company Shaw Industries, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which is owned by Warren Buffett.
Ireland said part of her success is due to her team of 37 employees, many of whom have worked together for more than 20 years. She also does not believe in rushing into any business arrangement. The Mon Cheri Bridals partnership was seven years in the making, she said.
Joyce Lee, the co-owner of Potomac Bridals in Hagerstown, Md., is one of many bridal shops that carries the collection.
''With Kathy Ireland, they have very different, unique looks that kind of appeal to a variety of different brides,'' said Lee. in order to get a jump on work. ''It would be really difficult to give that up.''
First Published: June 6, 2011: 1:33 PM ET
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