The highlights from Forbes's Richest Self-Made Women

A couple of days ago American business magazine Forbes released their list for top 80 self-made business women of America. The list included names from the industries of fashion, music, entertainment, cosmetics, aerospace and others. Some of these names like Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner and others were to be expected, but there were also a few others like Tory Burch and Taylor Swift that caught us by surprise.

FYI the top spot of the list sees the presence of Diane Hendricks, who chairs ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in America, with a net worth of $7 billion, followed by Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, with a net worth of $3.8 billion, and Marian Ilitch, co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza, with a fortune of $3.7 billion. 

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from Forbes’ Richest American Self-Made Women list.  

#14 - At number 14 on the list is the co-founder of fast fashion retailer Forever 21, Jin Sook Chang. The entrepreneur is estimated to have a net worth of 1.5 Billion dollars. Which she and her husband have managed to accumulate over 3 decades of being active. The company’s wealth is definitely a bitter testimony to how the fast fashion industry has been flourishing in comparison to the fashion industry. 

#23 - Reality star and makeup mogul Kylie Jenner takes the place of number 23 as America’s youngest self-made billionaire with a net worth of one billion. In March of this year, Forbes released a small preview of the list proclaiming Jenner as the “youngest self-made billionaire ever.” This caption sparked a wave of debate and conversation discussing whether the celebrity should have been described as self-made with her family’s wealth being accessible to her fingertips. However, in the list, Forbes clarifies her rights to being called self-made, stating that “Jenner used $250,000 of her earnings from modelling gigs to pay an outside company to produce her first 15,000 lip kits.”  

#29 - One of the more surprising names to see on the list was Tory Burch who takes the place of number 29 with a net worth of $850 million. The fashion brand that produces apparel, footwear, watches, accessories and fragrances brings in 1.5 billion in sales since the opening of her first boutique in 2004. 

#37 - Rihanna takes the spot of number 37 as the richest female musician with a net worth of $600 Million. However, of course, what has accumulated the musician’s wealth has not only been from album sales but includes a great portion of the sales from her LVMH co-owned Fenty Beauty cosmetics line which brought in an estimated revenue of $570 million last year. The musician’s recent launch of her Fenty Maison clothing line with LVMH will probably push her even further up on the list by this time next year depending on its success. 

#49 - American designer Donna Karan secured her spot as number 49 with a net worth of $430 million after her selling her namesake label to LVMH in 2000. Her fashion house was first launched in 1985, however, she no longer designs for the label and has currently shifted her focus to her upcoming luxury lifestyle brand Urban Zen. 

#51 - It’s, of course, no surprise that Beyoncé is on this list. The pop star carries a net worth of $400 million which when combined with her billionaire husband’s net worth, total’s to 1.4 billion. This has been accomplished through album sales, and several investments in music, art and liquor. 

#57 - Kim Kardashian West has set the bar high as the highest paid reality tv star with a net worth of $370 million. Although reality TV has been her trade, a great bulk of her fortune has also come from her cosmetics company KKW Beauty which generated more than $100 million in sales last year. 

#60 - Another name that took us by surprise was Taylor Swift at number 60. The musician is estimated to be worth $360 million with her 2018 Reputation stadium tour grabbing the spot for the highest grossing tour in the U.S with a total of $266.1 million. 

#80 - The only athlete on Forbes’ list this year was tennis player Serena Williams. Her net worth of $225 million has included capital from her $89 million career prize money to investments she has made throughout the years in start businesses worth around 10 million.