Kathy Ireland was born in 1963 in Glendale, California, the daughter of John Ireland, a labor union organizer, and Barbara Ireland, who worked in charity. Her first job was a paper route in 1974. At age 17, Ireland was discovered by an agent for the Elite Model Management company, and by the time she graduated from San Marcos High School (Santa Barbara, California) in 1981, she was working steadily as a model. She appeared on covers for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Women's Fitness; and in campaigns for consumer products, including Bulova, Fruit of the Loom, Caress Soap, Budweiser, Cheerios, Baked Lays Potato Chips and a plethora of other projects.
1984 marked the first of 13 consecutive appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and by 1992, Ireland began to turn down modeling opportunities and a series regular offer on Baywatch in order to begin kiWW to focus on brand licensing and management in an alliance with the Sterling/Winters Company--a firm she purchased two decades later. Her first major licensing deal was forged with Moretz Mills/Moretz Sports to manufacture moisture-wicking athletic socks through K-mart.
Starting in 1984, Ireland was featured in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for 13 consecutive years, with her final appearance in 1996. In addition to her long tenure within the pages, Ireland appeared on the cover of the annual issue three times, a feat tied by Christie Brinkley and Cheryl Tiegs and surpassed only by Elle Macpherson (with five appearances). Ireland was the cover model for the first time on the 25th Anniversary Swimsuit Edition, which became SI 's best selling swimsuit issue to date.She returned to the cover in 1992 and in 1994. In her third appearance, she was accompanied by Rachel Hunter and Elle Macpherson; notably, both Hunter and Ireland were pregnant at the time.
In 1993, Ireland put her name on a line of socks. After they proved a best-seller for Kmart, the retailer gave Ireland her own clothing line. She then founded kiWW, initially a brand product marketing firm in which she and her related trusts own in its entirety. Since 1994, Kathy Ireland has published several fitness videos that led to her design of athletic apparel and was an entree into her brand licensing of fitness equipment as well.
In 2004, Ireland's annual take was thought to be around $10 million, which prompted Forbes to name her the "prototype for model-turned-mogul," in an article about the trend of modelpreneurs. By 2004, Kathy Ireland Worldwide was marketing products from 16 manufacturers, including those of Shaw Industries and Pacific Coast Lighting. By 2005, kathy ireland Worldwide products were sold at over 50,000 locations in 15 countries, generating an estimated $1.4 billion in retail sales. According to a February 27, 2012 issue of Forbes magazine, featuring Kathy Ireland on the cover, her product line (furniture, lighting, flooring, windows, jewelry, bridal gowns, etc.) now sells some $2 Billion annually at retail. License Global Magazine named kathy ireland Worldwide, the 28th most powerfully licensed brand. According to Fairchild Publications, Kathy Ireland is one of the 50 most influential people in fashion