{{Short description|American fashion and home design executive}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Kym Gold | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = Kymberly Goldberg<ref name="DB2012">{{cite book |last=Burnett |first=Dianne |author-link= Dianne Burnett|date=2012 |title=The Road to Reality: Voted Off the Island! ... My Journey as a Real-life Survivor|location= |publisher=Agape Media |page= |isbn=1401941001}}</ref> | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per WP:DOB. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> | birth_place = United States | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per WP:INFONAT --> | other_names = | occupation = Fashion designer, Fashion and home design executive | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}
'''Kym Gold''' is an American fashion and home designer and executive. She is the founder of Bella Dahl, Hippie Jeans, Babakul, and Style Union Home, and the co-founder of designer jeans brand True Religion. Gold's designs have been worn by David Beckham, Tom Ford, Angelina Jolie, Donna Karan, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani, Holly Robinson Peete, and Justin Timberlake. Her work has been included in ''Vogue'', ''Elle'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''InStyle'', and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines.<ref name="skinny">{{cite web|last1=Evarts-Bosstick |first1=Lauryn |date=11 October 2015|title=Talking With the Co-Founder of True Religion: Kym Gold|url=https://www.theskinnyconfidential.com/talking-with-the-co-founder-of-true-religion-kym-gold/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2023-07-14|website=The Skinny Confidential}}</ref>
==Early life== Gold was born in Malibu, California to a Jewish family. She has said she has "a lot of family in Israel and Masada."<ref name=ageist/> She is an identical triplet.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |last1=Fordham |first1=Claire |title=Gold Standard: Fashion designer, philanthropist and co-founder of clothing company True Religion, Kym Gold shares her story |url=http://www.malibutimes.com/malibu_life/article_d74d6faa-a3c5-11e7-b1ad-bb7ebfd385ec.html#:~:text=Kym%20Gold%20was%20already%20a,a%20billion%20dollars%20in%202013. |website=The Malibu Times |language=en |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |access-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929161633/http://www.malibutimes.com/malibu_life/article_d74d6faa-a3c5-11e7-b1ad-bb7ebfd385ec.html#:~:text=Kym%20Gold%20was%20already%20a,a%20billion%20dollars%20in%202013. |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Gold attended two years of college, and then she "got bored, and started my own business. That’s just my personality." She got her start in the fashion industry by buying overages and damages, such as t-shirts and sweatshirts, from factories, which she would then take to a dye house to have re-dyed, and then resell them at college swap-meets and on the boardwalk of Venice Beach. She eventually had five employees, including one of her sisters. "With various swap meets, I was making about $50,000 a month."<ref name=ageist/>
==Career== ===True Religion=== {{main|True Religion (clothing brand)}} In 2002, Gold and her then-husband, Jeff Lubell, co-founded True Religion, a high-end denim line catering to all body types. The company eventually went public on the Stock exchange.<ref name="skinny"/>
According to Gold's autobiography, she served as vice president of True Religion. She created designs, and Jeff would source materials. Lubell and Gold's management styles conflicted, with Gold blaming a toxic, masculine corporate culture at the company, led by Lubell. Lubell managed the board of directors and Gold's role was often minimized. The couple separated, and Lubell filed for divorce on February 14, 2007. True Religion informed Gold that she was no longer part of the company as an employee, though she would remain a board member.<ref name="Goldbio">{{cite book |last1=Gold |first1=Kym |title=Gold Standard : How To Rock The World And Run An Empire |date=2015 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|location=New York, NY |isbn=9781634501286}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kym Gold Explains How She Started True Religion, Then Sold It for $835 Million |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/312574 |website=Entrepreneur|date=27 April 2018 }}</ref>
In 2013, True Religion sold to TowerBrook Capital Partners for over $800 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=True Religion Co-Founder Kym Gold Asking $9.5M for L.A. Home |publisher=American Luxury |url=https://www.amlu.com/2018/11/17/true-religion-co-founder-kym-gold-asking-9-5m-for-l-a-home/}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023}}</ref> In 2017, True Religion declared bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bomey|first=Nathan|date=|title=True Religion to close 27 stores after bankruptcy filing: See the list|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/07/05/true-religion-store-closures/453494001/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2023-07-14|website=USA Today}}</ref>
===Other business ventures=== In 2008, Gold started Babakul, a bohemian chic clothing line sold in Southern California. Heidi Klum, Tom Ford, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna have worn Babakul.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Kym Gold, Co-founder, True Religion Brand Jeans – TuesdayNights – Inspiring Connections with Entrepreneurial Women |url=http://www.tuesdaynights.org/get-inspired.html |website=Tuesday Nights |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20131117083919/http://www.tuesdaynights.org/get-inspired.html |archive-date=17 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2015, Gold released her memoir and business advice book ''Gold Standard: How to Rock the World and Run an Empire''. The book was edited by Sharon Soboil and published by Skyhorse.<ref name="Goldbio"/><ref name="skinny"/>
Gold founded Los Angeles-created ceramic design company Style Union Home, later renamed ''dumæ''.<ref name=ageist>{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Sheri Radel |date=2024-08-29 |title=Kym Gold, 58: Crafting a Life of Passion and Purpose |url=https://www.ageist.com/profile/kym-gold-58-crafting-a-life-of-passion-and-purpose/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=AGEIST |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-19 |title=This fashion entrepreneur is giving home a spin |url=https://businessofhome.com/articles/fashion-pottery-style-union-home-kym-gold |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Business of Home}}</ref> It was created in 2020 during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tuchman |first=Robert |date=2020-12-29 |title=How Success Happened for Style Icon Kym Gold, Co-Founder of True Religion {{!}} Entrepreneur |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-success-happened-for-style-icon-kym-gold-co-founder-of/362111 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250517133306/https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-success-happened-for-style-icon-kym-gold-co-founder-of/362111 |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-11-18 |work=Entrepreneur |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Gold's first husband was producer Mark Burnett. The couple married in 1988 at Gold's parents Malibu home, and divorced after one year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bart |first1=Peter |title=Mark Burnett Stands Firmly Behind The Reality TV President He Helped Create |url=https://deadline.com/2019/01/mark-burnett-donald-trump-protector-the-apprentice-commentary-peter-bart-1202532074/ |access-date=6 July 2022 |work=Deadline |date=10 January 2019}}</ref>
About a year later, Gold began dating Jeff Lubell. They later also became business partners and co-founders of True Religion. The two eventually moved in together, got married, and had children. They have three sons, Jake, Ryan, and Dylan. The couple filed for divorce in 2007.<ref name="Goldbio" />
Today, Gold is married to television and film actor Marlon Young. The couple met through a mutual friend, Eric Benét.<ref name="auto2"/>
Gold has noted Gloria Steinem as someone she admires, stating, "Any woman who is a pioneer or leader is an inspiration to me, the women's movement was a huge step for women in general. However, we still have a long road ahead to be equal to men in the world of business." Gold is also a philanthropist, supporting causes concentrating on women's health issues, such as breast cancer research.<ref name="auto"/><ref name=ageist/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://styleunionhome.com/ Style Union Home] official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Kym}} Category:21st-century American businesswomen Category:21st-century American businesspeople Category:21st-century American Jews Category:American businesspeople in the real estate industry Category:21st-century American women writers Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople in manufacturing Category:Jewish businesswomen Category:Jewish fashion designers Category:American women fashion designers Category:American fashion designers Category:American women interior designers Category:American interior designers Category:Jewish women philanthropists Category:21st-century American women philanthropists Category:21st-century American philanthropists Category:American feminists Category:Businesspeople from Malibu, California Category:Writers from Malibu, California Category:Artists from Malibu, California