Popular Supermodel Signs Partnership Deal With Iowa Fashion Brand

A fashion icon who, throughout her career, has appeared on countless covers and on the pages of international magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Madamoiselle is bringing her talents to Cedar Rapids. Well, sort of.

She became the world's most famous and visible model after her appearances in the Sports Illustrated (SI) swimsuit issues. She later transitioned into acting, making appearances on "Boy Meets World", "Melrose Place" and in movies including "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1".

Almost everyone recognizes Kathy Ireland, now a worldwide business and fashion entrepreneur. On that note, she and her long-running family apparel brand will team with a rising e-commerce company in the Cedar Rapids area after a major signing announced earlier this week.

Cedar Rapids-based BHFO.com is an online fashion wholesaler catering to men, women, and children's apparel products.

PR Newswire reports, that after months of confidential negotiations, the veteran supermodel has entered into an exclusive worldwide partnership with the company to carry the kiWW© brand (Kathy Ireland Worldwide) of designer fashions. The deal was made public this week by BHFO founders/owners Jon and Stacie Sefton.

We are thrilled and honored to work alongside Kathy and her incredible team at kiWW®.  When choosing a business partner, it is of utmost importance to BHFO to be aligned on core values, vision, and goals.  We are grateful to have found all of these with this partnership.

The Kathy Ireland Worldwide team made a statement of their own on the partnership, saying in part:

BHFO, Jon, and Stacie are extraordinary people. They and their colleagues share our core values and are the heartbeat of the fashion industry. In the history of our company, we have never selected an online relationship this comprehensive and expansive… until now.

You can read more about what both parties had to say about the partnership here.

They went on to call BHFO,  an "extraordinary resource in all things fashion. Men, women, and children will find their needs met at BHFO.com. We will see this great company expand into exciting new categories. The success of this relationship will enhance positive change, throughout our world."

BFHO's (which is a combination of the owners' daughters' initials followed by "Factory Outlet") Cedar Rapids warehouse is located at 4520 20th Ave SW. On their Instagram page, they say they specialize in "luxury brands at an affordable cost."