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Baby Phat

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Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons is a privately held American apparel brand established in 1999 by fashion model, creative director, and entrepreneur, Kimora Lee Simmons.[1] Initially launched as a womenswear offshoot of the menswear label, Phat Farm, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons eventually grew into a comprehensive lifestyle brand that is widely regarded as one of the most definitive brands of the early aughts era.[2] Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons was re-launched in December 2019.[3]

Baby Phat
IndustryFashion
Founded1999
FounderKimora Lee Simmons
HeadquartersNew York, NY
Websitewww.babyphat.com

Brand History

Baby Phat was first introduced in 1993. The fledgling brand offered a small line of fitted women’s T-shirts under the umbrella of Russell Simmons-owned Phat Fashions LLC, a business entity created primarily to operate the men’s streetwear label, Phat Farm. By the mid-nineties, corporate restructuring of Phat Fashions had stalled the development of Baby Phat. Russell Simmons then partnered with apparel manufacturer Turbo Sportswear to form a new company called the American Design Group (ADG), to which the master license for Phat Farm apparel was awarded. ADG later announced that it would relaunch Baby Phat through a number of licensing agreements.

Following her marriage to Russell Simmons In 1998, Kimora Lee Simmons was presented with a prototype of a women’s T-shirt from Phat Farm. Simmons was disappointed with the sample, later describing it as a "very athletic and basic, scaled-down version of what a guy would wear."[4] Drawing on her experience as a fashion model, Simmons decided to step into the role of designer and creative director to create a collection that she thought better represented what women would actually want to wear, and in 1999 Baby Phat By Kimora Lee Simmons launched.[5] Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons began with low-rise jeans and tops adorned with a rhinestone curved cat logo inspired by her pet Siamese cat, Max.[6] Simmons later said she created the collection because "women - especially women of color - had no voice in the streetwear industry. It’s in our DNA; this brand is created for women, by women."[7]

Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons’s first solo show took place during New York Fashion Week in 2000.[8] The show was streamed live from its venue at Radio City Music Hall to the Jumbrotron in Times Square. Like Phat Farm before it, Baby Phat candidly celebrated black culture, resulting in its pigeonhole as an “urban” brand by fashion’s elite.[9] Baby Phat circumvented the fashion industry’s traditional paths to commercial viability by enlisting the help of well-known hip-hop artists to market directly to its consumer base.[10] Through this marketing strategy and by way of its symbiosis with hip-hop culture, Baby Phat rose meteorically in the pop culture consciousness.[11]

In 2000, Kimora Lee Simmons assumed the role of President and Creative Director of Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons. Under her direction, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons expanded into a comprehensive lifestyle brand that encompassed denim, accessories, jewelry, footwear, swimwear, lingerie and fragrance.[12]

By 2001 - two years after launch - Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons reported a gross revenue of $30 million - a mark that took Phat Farm six years to reach. By 2002, revenue had increased from $30 million annually to $265 million, resulting in a billion-dollar valuation of the company.[13] Revenue for the following year increased by an additional 30 percent. By 2003, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons was the most profitable of Phat Fashions’s four labels.[14]

2004-2010

In 2004, American apparel manufacturer, The Kellwood Company announced its plans to acquire Baby Phat along with parent company, Phat Fashions. Kellwood retained Simmons as President and Creative Director of Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons following their acquisition of the brand.[15]

Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons had several notable brand partnerships during this period. These included a partnership with Visa to produce a Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons branded prepaid Rush Visa card.[16] In 2004, Baby Phat partnered with Motorola to create the Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons i833 mobile phone, which sold exclusively at Bloomingdale's.[17] That same year, Baby Phat partnered with Vida Shoes International to create a line of footwear, which included stilettos, wedges, boots, and toddler shoes.[18]

Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons opened its first brick and mortar retail location in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood in 2004.

In 2004, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons partnered with Coty Inc to launch Baby Phat Goddess.[19] The fragrance was carried at Department stores nationwide, including Macy’s. Baby Phat Goddess was later joined by five other fragrances: Goddess, Golden Goddess, Seductive Goddess, Fabulosity, Luv Me, and Dare Me.[20]

In 2006, Simmons was promoted to president of Baby Phat’s parent company, Phat Fashions. Later that year, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons created a 200-piece lingerie collection that was carried at upmarket department stores.[21] In 2007, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons established a presence in the Middle East by opening a flagship store in Dubai, a first for any women’s urban wear brand.

Simmons’s contract with The Kellwood Company ended in 2010. At the same time, Kellwood sold Phat Fashions to Sun Capital Partners, and Simmons declined to renew her position with the company’s new owners. Upon her exit from Phat Fashions, however, Simmons retained ownership of all licensing rights to her fragrance and cosmetics collection.[22]

Impact

On the impact of Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons, CR Fashion Book’s Giovanni Osterman writes: “Few brands are as culturally and aesthetically synonymous as Baby Phat is to the early 2000s.”[23] New York Daily News ranked Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons as the number one most sought after ticket at New York Fashion Week during the mid-aughts.[24] Celebrity fans of the brand included Alicia Keys, Chrissy Teigan, Kim Kardashian, Christina Millian, Britney Spears, Parish Hilton, Missy Elliott, and Rihanna, who so loved the brand that she purchased the entire archive from a collector in 2019.[25] Supermodels to have walked the Baby Phat runway include: Alek Wek, Eva Herzigová, Carmen Kass, and Devon Aoki. Hip-hop stars like Lil’ Kim were also cast to walk the Baby Phat runway during fashion week.[26][27]

Explaining the ethos behind her casting choices, Kimora Lee Simmons said: “It's very deliberate. It includes people who are sometimes forgotten but are great models - they have fierce walks and bodies, strong girls, but they might sometimes be a size bigger than the other one who was a size zero. They have more 'hip,' more color, more bang to their personality. It's what I represent culturally in society: all colors, all women, all shapes and sizes.” Simmons was similarly deliberate about her choice to walk the finale of each show with her daughters, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee, by her side. She has stated that it was important for her to send a message that a woman could be both a mother and a mogul.[28]

Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons offered an experience to female minorities who previously didn’t have access to the world of fashion. The brand was built on bringing a high-level designer aesthetic to the street. Though streetwear had already emerged from a combination of global subcultures prior to Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons was the first streetwear brand to identify a female customer and cater to her with feminine styles of clothing that spoke directly to their culture. Many of these styles had never been seen before in the fashion market place. These styles included miniaturized baby-doll T-shirts, cropped and faux-fur lined puffer jackets and pastel velour tracksuits all emblazoned with the signature rhinestoned cat logo.[29]

Reacquisition of Baby Phat

On International Women’s Day, 2019, Kimora Lee Simmons announced the reacquisition of Baby Phat. The brand relaunched the following summer through a collaboration with Forever 21.[30] The collection featured eighteen clothing items branded with Baby Phat’s signature cat logo and is reported to have sold out in 24 hours.[31]

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 instrumental in the relaunch. The 2020 relaunch also included a line of beauty products under the name Baby Phat Beauty.[32] In 2022, a new capsule collection debuted exclusively at Macy’s. The collection was available online and at fifty retail locations nationwide.[33] Also in 2022, Baby Phat partnered with Puma to produce a line of Baby Phat-branded athletic footwear.[34]

References

  1. ^ "40 Under 40 - Kimora Lee Simmons". Crain's New York Business. July 30, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  2. ^ updated, Shelby Comroe last (July 23, 2020). "The Black Designers Who Shaped Fashion History". Marie Claire Magazine. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  3. ^ bigced328 (December 10, 2019). "Baby Phat Has Officially Relaunched". Black Enterprise. Retrieved November 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "40 Under 40 - Kimora Lee Simmons". Crain's New York Business. July 30, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  5. ^ "30 Black Designers Who Shaped Fashion History - Black History Month African-American Fashi". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "40 Under 40 - Kimora Lee Simmons". Crain's New York Business. July 30, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "How Baby Phat Won the Early 2000s". www.vice.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Dazed (March 12, 2019). "A brief history of Baby Phat, the cult 00s label bringing sexy back". Dazed. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Enduring Impact of Baby Phat". CR Fashionbook. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Baby Phat's Influence In The 90s And Early 2000s Brought Streetwear To The Mainstream". HelloBeautiful. December 3, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Enduring Impact of Baby Phat". CR Fashionbook. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Why Baby Phat's Resurgence Is Monumental". PAPER. June 18, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "30 Black Designers Who Shaped Fashion History - Black History Month African-American Fashi". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Dazed (March 12, 2019). "A brief history of Baby Phat, the cult 00s label bringing sexy back". Dazed. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  15. ^ Rozhon, Tracie (January 9, 2004). "Phat Fashions Is Being Sold To Kellwood for $140 Million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  16. ^ "Why Baby Phat's Resurgence Is Monumental". PAPER. June 18, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Luna, Elizabeth de (October 18, 2022). "It's time for a pink iPhone". Mashable. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Staff, MR Magazine (October 13, 2006). "Reggaeton Footwear License to Vida". MR Magazine. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "Coty Signs Licensing Agreement With Baby Phat To Develop Fragrances". HAPPI. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Kimora Lee Simmons Perfumes And Colognes". www.fragrantica.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Greenberg, Julee (January 31, 2002). "Baby Phat Takes A Big Step". WWD. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "Kimora Lee Steps Away From Baby Phat". K97.5. August 27, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  23. ^ "The Enduring Impact of Baby Phat". CR Fashionbook. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  24. ^ "Marc Jacobs, Baby Phat, Anna Sui, Michael Kors highlight N.Y. Fashion Week's hottest happenings". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  25. ^ "Photos from Baby Phat's Biggest Celebrity Fans". E! Online. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "A Look Back at Lil' Kim's Most Iconic Outfits, From Runway To Red Carpet". Hypebae. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  27. ^ "5 Reasons I Can't Wait for the Return of Baby Phat". Teen Vogue. March 13, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  28. ^ "Baby Phat's Kimora Lee Simmons is fashion's diva designer". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  29. ^ "The Enduring Impact of Baby Phat". CR Fashionbook. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  30. ^ "Forever 21 Teams up With Baby Phat and Phat Farm for an All-New Offering From the Ultimate Y2K Brands". www.businesswire.com. November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  31. ^ Sargent, Meagan. "Baby Phat Has Epic Launch Party to Celebrate Holiday Collaboration with Forever 21 – Splash Magazines". Splash Magazines Worldwide: Adding Style to Your Life. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  32. ^ "Kimora Lee Simmons and Her Daughters Relaunch Baby Phat — See the Teens Model in the First New Campaign". Peoplemag. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  33. ^ "Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons Brings Surprise Capsule to Macy's". Complex. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  34. ^ "Puma and Kimora Lee Simmons' Baby Phat Collaborate on New Collection". Complex. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
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