Baby Phat


Baby Phat is an American clothing brand started by Kimora Lee Simmons. Established in 1999 as Phat Fashions, the brand is an offshoot of her former husband Russell Simmons's Phat Farm clothing brand. Baby Phat was officially relaunched in December 2019.

History

Kimora Lee Simmons first established the urban women's wear brand Phat Fashions LLC in 1999. Presented with a prototype of a Phat Farm T-shirt for women, Simmons recalled saying, "I would never wear this. It is very athletic and basic, a scaled-down version of what a guy would wear." Simmons not only criticized the prototype, but also created a collection she would wear and took on the responsibility of Baby Phat's designer. The clothing brand included jeans and tops adorned with a curvy cat logo inspired by her pet cat, Max. Simmons later said she created the collection because "women, women - especially women of color - had no voice in the streetwear industry. It’s in our DNA that this brand is created for women, by women."
Baby Phat's first show took place in 2000 as an extension of Phat Farm, run by Simmons's former husband Russell Simmons, and Phat Fashion's label. It drew attention from the hip-hop community, which had a close relationship with Russell Simmons's record label Def Jam Recordings. Baby Phat received celebrity endorsements from Aaliyah, who sat in the front row during a fashion show, and Lil' Kim, who modeled a rhinestone logo-emblazoned sheer bikini under a faux-fur coat.
In 2004, the company expanded its operations by selling a custom Motorola i833 mobile phone exclusively at Bloomingdale's. The limited-edition pink, diamond-studded flip-phone was available for purchase for $699.99. That year, Simmons created a new shoe line for Baby Phat that included stilettos, wedges, boots, and toddler shoes.
In June 2019, Baby Phat collaborated with fashion retailer Forever 21. The line had eighteen clothing items featuring the brand's signature cat, all priced under $25. On December 6, 2019, Baby Phat relaunched on its own and published a spring/summer 2020 campaign on its website. Simmons's daughters, Aoki and Ming Lee, were responsible for the relaunch.

Influence

Baby Phat's fans include the celebrities Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian West, Christina Milian, Britney Spears, Missy Elliott and Monica, many of whom sat in the front row during Simmons's Fashion Week performances.
Models Alek Wek and Devon Aoki both collaborated with Baby Phat. Carmen Kass, Eva Herzigová, and Lil' Kim have also walked the runway for the brand.
Simmons said her choice of models on the Baby Phat runway is "very deliberate" and "includes people who are sometimes forgotten but are great models. All colors, all women, all shapes and sizes".