[2][3][4] Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s, initially known for appearing in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, including three covers.

[4] In 1993, she founded a brand licensing company, kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW), which has made her one of the wealthiest former models in the world.

[15] Ireland's successful transformation from a cover girl to a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur has been explicitly cited as inspiring by several active fashion models.

[18] Ireland's other appearances include Melrose Place, Boy Meets World, The Larry Sanders Show, Muppets Tonight, Side Out, Mr. Destiny, Necessary Roughness, Mom and Dad Save the World, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Once Upon a Christmas, and its sequel Twice Upon a Christmas.

She also participated in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, where Ireland and her partner Tony Dovolani were the third couple eliminated in the second week of competition.

[19] In 2016, she made an appearance in the sixth episode of the fourth season of The Profit, offering advice for the CEO of Murchison-Hume, Max Kater.

[20][21] Founded in 1993 as a brand marketing firm in an exclusive business relationship with Kmart, Kathy Ireland Worldwide (or kiWW, for short) became a global licensor after cutting its ties to the department store chain in 2003.

[28] By 2004, Kathy Ireland Worldwide was marketing products from 16 manufacturers—including those of Nourison[29] and Pacific Coast Lighting[2][23]—selling them in over 34,000 retail locations in as many as 14 countries.

[31] Ireland launched her line of wedding gowns by presenting a runway fashion show at the Festival of Brides held in Disneyland Resort in 2012.

[29] In 2015, Forbes named Ireland one of America's 50 most successful self-made women (as measured by their net worth) in its first ever list of the kind.

[7][38] Lending her name to several thousands of different products,[39] her company was listed as the 26th biggest licensor in the world in 2019 by License Global.

[49] In 2020, Ireland's company entered into a partnership with Camping World to bring her collections of RV furniture to retail locations and online stores.

[56] Ireland spoke at the fourth Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters on August 13, 2007, encouraging young people to engage in activities aimed at ending poverty.

[58] Ireland was a key speaker at the 2012 AIPAC policy conference in Washington, DC,[59][60] where she expressed her support for the Israeli people[61] and warned against the dangers posed by the lack of knowledge about the history of the land of Israel.

[63] In addition, Ireland has lent her estates to charitable organizations such as the US Marine Corps' Toys for Tots to generate funds for charity.

[76] In March 2022, Ireland launched the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation's “Music Funds the Cure’ and joined NPCF's International Youth Chair.

[77] On June 23, 2011, Ireland was honored by the Anti-Defamation League with the American Heritage Award, presented by the National Home Furnishings Industry.

[citation needed] The same year, Ireland was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the California State University, which stated that she "generously uses her power and influence to benefit others, supporting social causes including empowering women, supporting young girls through mentoring, and providing opportunities for girls and women at risk.