8/2/2019 Palm Springs Life Kathy Ireland

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he aerobics instructor asked Kathy Ireland to leave and not come

back because she was distracting the class. The distraction to which she

reerred related not to Irelands model looks and celebrity status, but

rather to her lack o rhythm.

I you sawDancing With the Stars, I didnt last too long, Ireland says

o her 2009 star turn on the TV show. But I love a good challenge.

So, aerobics instructor aside, she proceeded to make her own exercisevideos, the rst o which was lmed in the Coachella Valley. Thats

hardly her only connection to the desert. Since 2005, she has owned a house in the Las Palmas

neighborhood o Palm Springs. And, though her primary residence is in Santa Barbara,

the headquarters o her kathy ireland Worldwide branding empire is in Rancho Mirage.

Furthermore, the rst photo shoot or her inaugural product was shot in the desert. In many

ways, our brand was born here, she says.

These days, the brand encompasses everything rom clothing, jewelry, wigs, and skin care

to home and oce urniture, rugs and carpeting, and home dcor. Previously known primarily

or more than a decade o gracing the cover and inside pages oSports Illustrateds annual

swimsuit issue, Ireland could have come out with her own line o swimwear. But, she says,

that would have been too obvious. Instead she chose the humble sock as her rst product.

I was OK as a model. I wasnt all that great, she says (though a plethora o media outlets

has preceded her name with supermodel). I knew my customer was ar too savvy to buy

something simply because it had my name on it. I she does, its because I have worked hard to

gain her trust. I women embraced something as basic as a sock, that would tell us i we had

the beginning o a brand.

Kathy Ireland concentrates on sImplIfyIng lIfe

for women and theIr famIlIes

By Janice Kleinschmidt

Photography by Marc and Paula Kayne

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Solutions

8/2/2019 Palm Springs Life Kathy Ireland

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April 2012 www.pa52 www.palmspringslife.com April 2012

April 2012 www.pa

ireland began modeling at the age of 17and beore

long became recognizable to anyone scanning the maga-

zine racks. In addition toSports Illustrated, she appeared

on the covers oGlamour, Cosmopolitan, andHarpers

Bazaar. But i you think she parlayed beauty and ame

alone into a thriving enterprise, youre mistaken.

I started working when I was 4 years old, selling painted rocks

rom a wagon. They could be used as a paperweight, objet dart,

or or sel-deense, Ireland says, exhibiting the kind o entrepre-

neurial thinking that leads to success. At age 11, she had a paper

route. I had people yell at me, Its a boys job! But each year, I

won carrier o the year or my district, she says.

Modeling exposed me to the best designers and people o all

dierent cultures, but I always knew I belonged on the other side

o the camera. When I modeled, I saved my money. A lot o peoplethought I was cheap. I was saving to invest in people.

Ireland constantly reers to the team she has built and uses the

word we more than the word I when discussing her company.

We have been together 20 years, so we know where we can

support one another, she says. Our team is helping me to be very

ecient with time. The brand appears in my name, but its the

result o thousands and thousands o hours o work perormed

by many people.

The company employs about 40 team members. On a

typical day, a dozen o them work in the Rancho Mirage oce.

I dont have a ormal degree in design, Ireland says, but we

have team members with a masters in ne arts. Nevertheless,

she sketches and takes photographs o objects and patterns that

serve as inspiration. I get involved every step o the way, she says.

Sometimes its a concept; sometimes its a photograph or sketch.

Sometimes its extremely creative; and other times its pretty precise.

She had to be persuaded to use her name or her corporate

identity, but she separates her personal sel rom the brand bylowercasing the k and i.

I dont get conused and think thats my name, because its a

team eort, she explains.

As oten as she talks about her team, however, she also talks

about her customer, always as she, since her ocus and, indeed,

her companys trademarked tag line is nding solutions or

amilies, especially busy moms.

Shes the most critical part o our design team, Ireland says.

When Ireland has been asked, because o her celebrity, whether

she needs security detail, she replies, What rom the mom

whos going to ask me, I bought a rug; what lamp will go with it?

Ireland expresses no qualms about mentioning she was kicked

out o aerobics or a lack o rhythm or admitting that, while she

loves sports, she is not very good at gol or surng. One o

these days, I am going to get good at gol, but its not today, she

says. Her oray into surng came ater her husband gave her a

surboard on their rst anniversary. I go out and try not to run

anybody over, she says. And when I dont, its a good day.

As open as she is personally, Ireland guards inormation like

corporate prots. One o the beauties o being a private company

is not having to reveal income, she says. We were able to quietly

operate under the radar or quite a while.Forbes [in 2006] outedour brand as a billion-dollar business. In its Feb. 27, 2012,

cover story,Forbes reers to her as a $350 million mogul with

$2 billion in retail sales.

In addition to running her branding empire, Ireland writes

books (Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and

Sanity andPowerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will

Change Your Life) and is a motivational speaker.

Speaking publicly is something I never thought I would have

done, she says. Critics said I had a voice that could kill small

animals. I had to decide i I would let the cruelty o the com-

ment silence me. She didnt, o course. When people dont like

our ideas, its OK. I will come back tomorrow. Criticism is a git,

though maybe in a nasty package.

I think we all prejudge people a little bit. We put people in

boxes, she continues. I dont t in anyones box.

Among her most recent product launches are bridal gowns,

intimates, nursery urniture, and quick-to-assemble oce urni-

ture (Not cutting edge, she says. We have to be on trend, butnot avant-garde. It has to make her day better.)

Ireland rerains rom putting her name on anything that would

confict with her amily-solutions mission statement. You are not

going to see kathy ireland handguns, she says. In act, she goes

urther regarding the integrity o her brand.

I dont put my name on anything, she says. I give my heart

to everything.

a

er meeting Kathy Ireland through mutual

friends 20 years ago, Andre Carthen agreed

to appear with Irelands mother as a student in

her tness videos. Now the Cathedral City resident is

the design ambassador for kathy ireland Worldwide

providing cooking and entertaining solutions for

families and especially for busy moms.

He also provided nutritional recipes for Irelandsclose friend Janet Jackson.

It was through Kathy that I met Janet, Carthen

says. It was a dream come true. She was working

on her nutrition program and Kathy said, What about

Chef Andre? Working with Jacksons personal

trainer, Carthen not only provided recipes for the

pop stars recent book, True You, but also for tting

I just absolutelylove the desert.Our work is veryintense, and it feelslike a retreat whenwe are here.

serving solutionsinto her tour schedule. He also is working as chef

consultant on the Chefs Council of Nutrisystem in

conjunction with Jacksons role as spokeswoman for

the weight-loss program.

In addition to supplying cooking and entertainment

content for the companys solutions-oriented website,

Carthen collaborates with Ireland on products,

including candles that smell like food, such as oatmealraisin cookie and pecan pie, and they are introducing

cookware and kitchen knives. As for edible food

products, Carthen says, Its all in the works.

In 2011, Carthen and Le Vallauris sommelier Bruce

Barrett visited six wineries in Napa and Sonoma valleys,

where they shot video for wine segments on Irelands

upcoming web channel.

For more, visit ww w.palmspringslife.com