SASSYBAX

Amanda Horan Kennedy invented Sassybax bras for real bodies, and in 2004 she introduced them to the high-end market, selling $1 million wholesale within the first year.
 
Sassybax smoothes a woman’s silhouette, eliminates the possibility of bra bulge and provides exceptional comfort as it slims the back and torso.
 
Located in southern California, Sassybax initially targeted specific high-end retailers that cater to its customer profile and brand image. Within one month, it landed the Neiman Marcus account, and by the first year’s end, 300 high-end specialty stores in primary markets. Successful sell-through of the flagship line at stores and online led to the introduction of new styles and additional channels of distribution in 2005. 

Most people find their calling in life and continue down that path unwaveringly throughout their careers. Amanda Horan Kennedy did things a little differently. Starting off as an actress, Amanda then became a psychologist, and is currently a shapewear entrepreneur who established a unique fashion solution empire. Most recently, she tied it all together to become the “Glamour Shrink.” Amanda is an expert on real women’s bodies and female self-esteem. She is an evangelist of the real meaning of “glamour,” which she defines as something lying in wait at the heart of every woman from Peoria to Pittsburgh, Miami to Minnetonka.
 
Once known as Barbra Horan, Amanda began modeling at the age of 14 for Hallmark Cards and became a Calvin Klein model in the Midwest. By the time she reached college, she was not just relying on her looks, but an uncanny wit and bravado, which won her the Miss Texas crown wearing a $10 dress and a runner up spot for Miss USA. The stage bug then led her to a full time acting career in Hollywood where, at the age of 20, Amanda landed a starring role in the hit NBC-TV series “BJ & The Bear” as Samantha the Con Artist. For more than 10 years, she appeared as the leading guest star in shows like “Cheers,” “Dallas,” “Remington Steele,” “Hart to Hart,” and “TJ Hooker,” and acted in more than 200 national commercials for Clairol, Gallo Wine, Lean Cuisine and Michelob, among others. Her film credits include “My Favorite Year” with Peter O’Toole and “Mortal Sins” with Christopher Reeve.

In spite of her acting success, she felt the toll Hollywood takes on a woman’s self-esteem and returned to school to study psychology. She earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Los Angeles and began her second career in her mid-thirties specializing in women’s psychology.
 
Ironically, what led Amanda circuitously to her third career designing Sassybax, the first bra that eliminated back fat, was the discovery of two aneurysms in her brain. Before she underwent uncertain surgery, she shuttered her thriving psychotherapy practice of more than five years. After a complete recovery, she started the next phase in her life, a business to create fashion solutions for the real women. “It all started when I put on a tight little cashmere sweater on night and before leaving for a romantic dinner with my husband, I looked at my back in the mirror,” cringed Amanda. “By the time, my own body was, well, shall we say, getting a little fluffier than it once was and my bra created some unsightly bumps under the sweater.” Before leaving for dinner, the enterprising ingénue cut the legs off, and the gusset out of, a pair of control top pantyhose and slipped it over her head, putting her arms through the leg holes. The mirror reflected a smooth back under the tight sweater. Not only a green light for dinner that night, the impromptu fashion result inspired the creation of Sassybax, which pioneered the upper body shapewear market, before growing to a full line of functional and sexy dressing solutions.

After building a multimillion-dollar shapewear phenomenon in just 6 years, Horan Kennedy once again gathered all her expertise to launch the current phase of her career as the “Glamour Shrink.” An amalgamation of the knowledge she had gained from the best stylists in Hollywood, her fashion designer know-how and psychotherapy chops, she now provides expertise and inspiration for real women to find the glamour within.

Amanda is married to Bruce Kennedy, a barrister, businessman and lover of golf, wine and colorful socks. Together, they live in Southern California amongst Amanda’s flourishing garden of white roses, pink bougainvillea and their mini army of small white dogs and bawdy friends.