Good American’s CEO On Being The Only Black Woman In The Room: “I Don’t Notice”

Emma Grede never really thought much about race until she moved to the U.S. to launch denim brand Good American with Khloe Kardashian.

Growing up in London, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and Trinidad, she was surrounded by people from so many different ethnicities that nobody really bothered talking about diversity: It was the norm. There were times, of course, when she was the only black woman in the office or at a board meeting. But, coming from her background, she wasn’t overly concerned about standing out or being pigeonholed. And coming from a place of confidence, she believes, is what allowed her to rise through the fashion and entertainment industries. By the time she was in her mid-twenties, she had founded ITB Worldwide, an enormously successful talent management and marketing agency, where she was making deals with brands like Dior, Lacoste, and Alexander Wang.

But then she moved to the Los Angeles to start Good American and the fact that she was black suddenly became a very big deal. Grede is often asked to talk about what it is like to be a black female CEO. “It’s a difficult thing for me to comment on, because I come from a place where I have just never really thought about it in such–and I hate to use this phrase–black and white terms,” she tells me. “I never really have.”

In some ways, she believes that not focusing on the color of your own skin is the ideal way to push forward in the fashion industry, where people of color aren’t well-represented. Her message to aspiring fashion designers and entrepreneurs is to behave as if race is not an issue. And if you confront a situation in which someone tries to marginalize you, quickly move on until you’ve achieved the career you’ve dreamed about. ” Someone has to come first and be the first black person in that office,” she says. “At some point, you’ve just got to move forward and not give a shit.”

I sat down with Grede to talk about her ascent in the fashion industry, and how she now thinks about the race question.

Fast Company: Tell me a little about your background. 

Emma Grede: I grew up in London, which is about as multicultural as it gets. And more than that,  I grew up in East London, where the immigrant population and the black population is dominant. Coming from this …