Kathy Ireland

Kathy Ireland

Say the name Kathy Ireland and the image that pops into most people’s minds is her stunning Sports Illustrated swimsuit covers—especially the 25th anniversary edition from 1989, the best-selling swimsuit issue to date. But the former supermodel turned mogul and mom is a lot more than a pretty face and a knockout body. Discovered at age 17, she retired from the cutthroat industry emotionally unscathed, went on to act in Melrose Place and other TV series, then launched her own eponymous brand in 1993 with a popular pair of—wait for it—socks! Today, Kathy Ireland, dubbed the “prototype for model-turned-mogul” by Forbes, sells over more than 15,000 products, from home furniture to exercise videos, from books to those famous socks, worldwide.

Despite her accomplishments, the California-based mom of three is remarkably down-to-earth. In New York City to promote her latest project, a self-help tome titled Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity, Ireland, still stunning at age 46 and decked out in casual business attire and with bare feet, chatted frankly with Time Out Kids about her weight struggles, her approach to balancing life and work, and her strong views on sensitive topics such as abortion.

How did you decide what kind of company you wanted to start?
Becoming a mom for the first time changed my life in so many ways. My mission crystallized after my son was born: It’s finding solutions for families, especially busy moms. So many things I'd taken for granted—like taking a shower–became a huge luxury. I don’t know if Elizabeth Taylor intended it when she developed it, but [her perfume] White Diamonds is really a solution for busy moms: It’s a shower in a bottle! It comes in handy on those days when you can’t fit bathing in.

Is it true you recently lost some weight?
The gain was very gradual, about a pound a year for the last 25 years. Very easy to sneak up on you! Our son was running around with a new camera he got, taking pictures of everything in sight [and when my youngest saw one of the pictures he'd taken of me], she blurted out, “Mommy, you look pregnant!” That photo really caused me to take a good look in the mirror. I didn’t look healthy, I looked overwhelmed, I looked over-everything. [The media] focused on my appearance, but didn’t ask about triglyceride levels or C-reactive protein that can determine if you’re going to have heart problems. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in America. I want to be there for my family. I don’t want to leave my husband to raise our kids alone.

Did you learn anything during your years as a model that helps you as an entrepreneur?
Rejection. It really doesn’t faze me. Nobody loves it, but it doesn’t destroy me when people slam doors in my face. Rejection is a part of life. If we don’t get rejected then we’re not trying hard enough.

I noticed your website and book offer some fashion solutions but nothing about beauty.
Beauty has its place and it’s wonderful, but I like to focus on what comes from within.