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Founder, CEO and designer
Sassybax 

What pencil-skirted woman hasn’t discovered the flattering effects of control-top hosiery? But Amanda Kennedy has taken our love affair with Lycra onward and upward by launching Sassybax, a magical, shape-smoothing collection of torso-trimmers that has finally given tee shirt-wearing women everywhere the means to an end, of bra-bulge that is.

Amanda got a taste of the image biz at an early age when, as a wholesome fourteen year old from Kansas City, her good looks caught the eye of a talent scout. Embarking on a modeling career, Amanda was tapped two years later by Calvin Klein to suit up in his swim wear collection. College at Southern Methodist University came next where this outspoken, dean’s list feminist nonetheless became Miss Dallas, then Miss Texas, then first runner-up to Miss USA. Falling in love with the spotlight, she left school and headed for the hills to model for Nina Blanchard. She signed with a TV agent who helped her snag a plum co-starring role on BJ and the Bear as well as many TV commercials and guest spots on classic 80’s shows such as Cheers, Remington Steele, Hart To Hart, and the big-haired granddaddy of them all, Dallas.

But after eleven years in LA, Hollywood’s uber-standards took their toll on Amanda’s self-esteem. At thirty-one, she was no longer an ingénue nor was she suited for the character roles offered to “older,” women. She returned to college to earn a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology which led to her second career as a marriage/family therapist.

An unexpected third career change came seven years later when she underwent surgery for two brain aneurysms and closed her practice. It was after her complete recovery that she came up with the idea for Sassybax. She fashioned her first prototype in 2003 and within one year realized $1 million in sales and $10 million by 2007.

What we learned from Amanda: Women naturally create solid support systems and networks because we talk to our friends about everything from business to bras. Who else but your best buddies are you going to consult about your underwear?

Fresh-Faced and Fourteen

I was fourteen and walking down the hall in my junior high school when a talent scout for Hallmark spotted me. I started modeling and was discovered at age sixteen by Calvin Klein. I signed with a modeling agency in college and they got me into the Miss Dallas Pageant. I won but to tell you the truth, I did it for the money. Next I won Miss Texas wearing a $10.00 dress from Apparel Mart. I never really had that beauty queen mentality, although I did go on to be first runner-up to Miss USA.

There’s No Business Like…

Eileen Ford of the Ford Agency was a Miss USA judge. She offered to sign me but I wanted to be on TV, either in broadcast journalism or as an actress. Eileen put me in touch with her sister Nina Blanchard in LA and I dropped out of school and drove to Hollywood. I worked for the Blanchard Agency as a model to support myself until I got a TV agent. Then I did commercials and signed with NBC when I got a part on “BJ and the Bear.”

Keeping It Real

It never occurred to me that rubbing elbows with the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Pierce Brosnan, and Peter O’Toole put me in a privileged position. I was always down to earth. Square really. My mother used to say “pretty is as pretty does.” I’ve live by those words. Who cares about bone structure? A person is pretty who is good and who does the right thing. I always used my fame to draw attention to causes like children’s charities and animal issues.

Leaving the Spotlight

At age 32 I was “over the hill.” I went back to school and got a BA in Psychology, a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and opened my own practice, only to close it seven years later when I had two brain surgeries in 2000, all of which in a round-about way, led to Sassybax. Modeling, Hollywood, and psychotherapy all gave me a unique perspective on how a woman’s figure affects her self esteem. To combat my own “back fat,” I snipped the legs off a pair of control-top panty hose and wriggled into the stretchy waist section, pulling it up to my torso. Sassybax was born. I avoided start-up costs by finding a hosiery manufacturer who made my prototype for free with the understanding that they would get the contract if I was able to sell the product. We never signed anything. They trusted me.

Amanda Never Bax Down

I showed the prototype to manufacturers reps and they hated it! Ugly, stretchy, no lace, no hooks – it wasn’t a bra to them. Finally, in February 2004 I forced myself, with a little nudging from my husband, to toot my own horn (women are notoriously bad at this) and I aggressively pursued a Neiman Marcus buyer. I marched into her office and modeled my Sassybax prototype. She loved it. She had my bras in ten Neiman Marcus stores by March, and all of them by May.

Biggest Regret

My biggest mistake was not getting a patent. I went to several patent attorneys and they all told me not to bother. My instincts told me I was about to revolutionize the bra industry but I still followed very bad advice. The lesson here? Trust your inner voice. She’s probably right.

Success Due to Common Sense

I’ve accomplished a lot in my life because if I have an idea, I just go out and do it. I don’t over-think; I’m too busy for that. I also have a lot of common sense. I have gone to every store that stocks Sassybax to teach the employees about my product so they can sell it. I also don’t do focus groups. No expensive data can tell me as much as wearing my own creation can. I have one other fit model who is a size 1X. If Sassybax looks good and is comfortable on her, I know it will work for the smaller sizes. Most clothing is made to flatter a tiny, size zero twenty-year old and then is simply sewn bigger for all other sizes. This doesn’t work and every woman out there frustrated with her ill-fitting undergarments knows it.

This Featured Lady was profiled by Susie Lacey, Associate Editor, Ladies Who Launch

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