On Friday, in celebration of #InternationalWomensDay, designer, former model, and entrepreneur Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner revealed that she personally purchased the streetwear brand ‘Baby Phat’ and will relaunch the label later this year.
Kimora was the creator and face of the women’s streetwear brand 20 years ago, which was an extension of the Phat Farm men’s label of her then-husband Russell Simmons’ Phat Fashions company. She served as Baby Phat’s creative director from 2000 to 2010 and later became President of the brand.
Leissner sat with WWD to discuss the relaunch of the brand and stated that the Spring relaunch will be a “mainstream sportswear” collection for Millennials, targeting the mid-tier retail level. She plans on tapping into her “amazing personal archive” as inspiration for the collection, which will have “retro” elements that will be modernized, as well as new looks.
The brand’s signature Baby Phat rhinestone T will still be present along with “new messaging,” she said. “We’re working fast and furiously and have a lot up our sleeves.”
Her two college-age daughters, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee were the primary reason she wanted to bring the brand back. “It’s perfect timing for this,” she said. “Over the past several years, we realized the brand resonates with people and lives deep in their souls.” And young people like her girls have a “need for messaging” that is similar to what Baby Phat represented in its prime, and still can today.
Congratulations to Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner and thank you for bringing the nostalgia back to fashion!
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