Kimora Lee Simmons
About
the designers
Born in ST. Louis, Missouri, in 1975, Kimora Lee Simmons began her career in fashion at age 13, when Karl Lagerfeld anointed her a muse of Chanel.
Her catwalk career led to many VIP admirers, among them Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons, whom she married in 1998.
Though Kimora had no previous experience in design or business before Baby Phat, she claims her time inside the House of Chanel prepared her for helming her own company, and it looks like she may be right: Under Kimora's leadership, Baby Phat continues to expand its collections and recently entered into the lucrative world of licensing, with a series of Baby Phat cell phones released in 2003, and a new perfume launched in 2005. Kimora also serves as a Baby Phat ambassador through television stints on "America's Next Top Model" and "Life & Style." In a profile of her bling-heavy lifestyle in March 2005's "Vanity Fair," Kimora spoke of her label as an aspirational brand, telling the magazine, "They see my life... they want my clothes. Got it?"
The Look
Hip-hop video dancer meets girly ice princess, Hello Kitty diamond tiara included.
Who Wears It
The young and the hip-hop, and a few others, among them Madonna, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Tyra Banks, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, and Eve.