Kimora Lee Simmons to Relaunch Baby Phat Clothing Line

Fashion designer, entrepreneur and former model Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner announced Friday (March 8) that she would be relaunching her women’s streetwear brand, Baby Phat.

An extension of ex-husband Russell Simmons‘ men’s streetwear, Phat Farm, under the Phat Fashion umbrella, Leissner served as Baby Phat’s creative director from 2000 to 2010 amid the company being acquired by Kellwood Co. for $140 million in 2004.

Leissner’s two daughters with Simmons — 19-year-old, Ming Lee Simmons, and 16-year-old, Aoki Lee Simmons— encouraged their mother to revive the brand and will be assisting their mother in the creative process.

It’s very important that you have women on both sides: women as the end-user, women as the creator,” she told Bloomberg TV. “We need to take more of that responsibility and own it.”

Ming took Instagram her excitement about the line’s relaunch.

“Celebrating #internationalwomensday with a very special announcement!” she wrote in the caption. “Baby Phat has always been a brand for women. We have always celebrated every shape, every size, every race, every background; every woman. In 2019, we’re bringing it back for ALL of us… Because we’re worth celebrating. @BabyPhat.”

Though she did not enclose how much it was to acquire the clothing line, Leissner stated to WWD during a speaking engagement on International Women’s Day that she had to “hunt around to find it.”

Scheduled to relaunch this spring, Leisner plans to look back at her “amazing personal archive” as inspiration and include “retro” elements.

Baby Phat will be heading in the “mainstream sportswear” direction aiming at millennials.