BABY PHAT

   Launched in 1999, this sexy junior line was then a division of parent company Phat Fashions. The line is designed by former model Kimora Lee Simmons, ex-wife of Russell Simmons, the music artist/producer and former owner of Phat Fashions. Simmons sold Phat Fashions to Kellwood Co. in 2004. Kimora Lee Simmons was a model for the house of Chanel at the age of thirteen and credits her early connection with fashion in assisting her to develop the successful Baby Phat brand. In 2005, the over-the-top theatrical production of the Baby Phat line during fashion week in New York did not meet with success and the company refocused on design. In 2006, Baby Phat intimate apparel was launched; a total lifestyle brand inspired by its hip-hop roots. In continuation of the brand, Lee Simmons was exploring the childrenswear and fragrance markets in 2006; this growth, together with her book, Fabulosity, speaks to the role of fashion in defining, shaping, and projecting a person's image or perceived image.

   See also Junior sportswear; Lifestyle-dressing; Phat Farm.