Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner Is Bringing Back Baby Phat
Baby Phat is back! A very Happy International Women's day indeed!
Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner, designer, model, and entrepreneur, celebrated our day by announcing the return of streetwear brand Baby Phat. Leissner broke the news at a UN Women and Gender Innovation Coalition for Change today. According to WWD, Leissner spoke of her personal mission to champion equality and representation for women, especially of women of color. (Can I get a hell yeah?) “That’s always been my message, but it’s never more relevant than it is now,” said Leissner.
Alicia Keys in a signature Baby Phat tracksuit.
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Leissner served as the creative director of Baby Phat from 2000 to 2010, a timeframe in which the band brought in sales in excess of $1 billion, according to WWD.
The mogul said she was inspired to bring the brand back by her two daughters, who are 16 and 19.“Over the past several years, we realized the brand resonates with people and lives deep in their souls," said Leissner to WWD. " She said women at that age have a “need for messaging” that Baby Phat once projected. (Meaning inclusivity for all women who wanted Leissner's brand of female cool.)
While she declined to answer how the brand was purchased, we can expect to see new lines and a possible launch collaboration as early as this summer.
The brand's relaunch is already spurring nostalgia-fueled remembrances of great outfits past. I personally remember stealing a Baby Phat cheer jacket from my sister and feeling like the coolest woman alive. ELLE.com fellow Starr Bowenbank sported a hot pink Baby Phat puffer jacket when she was 12, and ELLE.com resident Cool Youth™ Nerisha Penrose had both a brown puffer and a pink romper from the brand. In Penrose's words: "Every future bad bish wore Baby Phat."
I would do anything for this phone.
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Chloe Hall Chloe Hall is a writer, producer, and Instagrammer who covers beauty, fashion, culture and Rihanna at ELLE.com.