Year Launched: 1997
In less than a decade, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons has positioned itself in the world of fashion as the premiere female hip-hop brand. Sassy, sexy, and stylish, Baby Phat first hit the scene as a publicity tool when tiny tees with the clever name Baby Phat were produced to electrify a Phat Farm runway show. When celebrities, supermodels and tastemakers began wearing the baby tees, a phenomenon grew, and a decision was made to launch an entire Baby Phat sportswear collection. A lifestyle brand was born.
In 1998, Kimora Lee Simmons was the natural choice to create, direct and establish the new denim label. She knew the brands success would rely on her ability to merge the worlds of high fashion and hip-hop. Her experience as a top fashion model, her marriage to Russell, her innate sense of style and her affinity for the finer things in life, would put Baby Phat at the forefront of the urban luxury movement.
Kimora Lee Simmons, who's ancestry is African from her father and Asian from her mother's side of the family, is a model, author, the head of design for Baby Phat, KLS, a new line called Fabulosity, and is occasionally an actress. She became CEO of Baby Phat after her ex-husband Russell Simmons stepped down.
