Kathy Ireland

Kathleen Marie Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American actress, author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist, and former fashion model.

When Ireland was sixteen in 1979, she was scouted at her high school by Elite Model Management.

She has appeared on covers for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Shape Fitness, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Teen and Seventeen.

Forbes, and Mademoiselle.

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."

Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s, initially known for appearing in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, including three covers.

Her first film, 1988's Alien from L.A., was later featured during the fifth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

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.

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.

Ireland's successful transformation from a cover girl to a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur has been explicitly cited as inspiring by several active fashion models.

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.

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 1993, after a line of socks bearing Ireland's name sold 100 million pairs, Kmart took notice and gave Ireland her own clothing line.

Buoyed by the initial success, Ireland founded Kathy Ireland Worldwide, at the beginning a brand marketing firm, which she and her related trusts own in its entirety.

The company concentrated on building its business in home products after 2003, when it cut its exclusive ties to Kmart.

At the advice of Warren Buffett, Ireland's friend and mentor, Kathy Ireland Worldwide entered into the home furnishings business.

By 2004, Kathy Ireland Worldwide was marketing products from 16 manufacturers—including those of Nourison and Pacific Coast Lighting —selling them in over 34,000 retail locations in as many as 14 countries.

Between 2005 and 2012, products bearing Ireland's brand generated $2 billion in annual retail sales.

Forbes described Ireland as a "prototype for model-turned-mogul" in a 2006 article about the trend of modelpreneurs.

American Legend launched a Kathy Ireland collection in 2011.

Ireland is chief designer for Royal Footwear & Accessories (The RFA Group).

She has established a relationship with manufacturer Gorham designing dinnerware, glassware and flatware.

Ireland designed collections of jewelry inspired by Elizabeth Taylor.

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.

In a May 2012 British Vogue article, Ireland was called the world's richest model.

Ireland launched her line of wedding gowns by presenting a runway fashion show at the Festival of Brides held in Disneyland Resort in 2012.

As a result of her career in business, she earned a $420 million personal fortune by 2015.

In 2021 alone, her company generated retail sales of $3.1 billion.

The brand became ranked number 15 in the world and Ireland entered the Licensing Hall of Fame.

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.

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."

Ireland has appeared in a number of television and film roles.

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.

In 2019, it stood at No. 26 on License Global's "Top 150 Global Licensors" 2019 list with $2.6 billion in retail sales.