Celebrating ‘Fashion Night Out’ with Kimora Lee Simmons was a BLAST! The “Fabulosity Diva”MACY’s at Herald Square On SMASH & the crowd was loving her. She was so gracious, signing autographs, taking pics, whatever the fans wanted from her they got. Not only there to show love & appreciation, Kimora was also promoting her more recent clothing line Kouture by Kimora. Bittersweet, at the same time she was saying goodbye to ‘Baby Phat.’ Oh y’all ain’t know? Kimora Lee Simmons is NO LONGER employed by ‘Baby Phat.’ When I got the news a few weeks ago I clutched my pearls, gasped & swooned, & hit the floor. You’re probably thinking the same thing I was thinking that fateful day: “how could this be? A brand she created, built from the bottom up, cannot be taken away from her. Is there some sort of mistake?” All those unanswered questions flooded my brain that morning as I saw the little tidbits of info Kimora was sharing via twitter. Judging from her tone I just knew that she & Baby Phat didn’t part ways amicably. There was some dirty double dealing involved, it wasn’t all good, and … she had a story to tell. herself had
A week & a half later Kimora would take to ustream & somewhat explain her side of things. In a nutshell, she & Russell sold ‘Phat Farm/Baby Phat’ back in 2000 for $140 million to Kellwood Co. Everything was fine until some new folks took over Kellwood & started making changes. Those changes didn’t include her. Then she addressed the foolishness Page Six of the NY Post printed from some “unnamed source” as to why Kimora “let go.” They said that Kimora demanded that both she & her children were to be paid to appear in Baby Phat ads. In addition, they say that not only was it expensive to continue to pay her, but that it was even more costly to either airbrush, or find a body double to substitute for her now size 10 frame. WHAT!!!?????? Wow, whether true or false, do they overstand the message that sends? The average size woman in America is a size 12-16. By saying that she- an alleged size 10- needs to be airbrushed, that is also saying that anything in the double digits isn’t acceptable. Wrong move & a definite no no.
This whole “Baby Phat/Kimora Lee” thing strikes a chord with me. I’ve been donning Baby Phat for some years now. Not too many of her exaggerated pieces, but I LOVED the sexy low cut tops & her multipurpose jeans. The Jeans, YES, the jeans. Extremely important when you’re in a world who doesn’t recognize, acknowledge, or cater to your size. I don’t expect much from the mainstream designers, yet my urban folks should be on point with this. How is it that e’rybody claims to “rep the ‘hood”, yet they make clothing like they’ve never seen a Big Gal before? Have they done their marketing research? Big Gals are HUGE consumers where clothing is concerned. We have to spend money on our clothing regardless. Big money for no name & very little glamour. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what Ashly Stewart does, yet, that’s about it. But if I can get Brand Name for the same amount of bucks I’m spending on No Name, that’s a straight no brainer. Big Gals always gotta be Fresh-2-Death when we step outta the house, because there’s always someone expecting us not to be. Coming around us, sniffin’ & sh#t like we’re some goddamn science projects. And you would think the urban brands, who claim to represent us, would capitalize on that. But they haven’t. They’ve tried, but most have failed. And the one’s who have tried to make clothing for Big Gals couldn’t get the size & fit right. Possibly the reason for that is that most of the urban designers are men, manufacturing clothes for the women they wanna bed, not who’ll give undying support. The only one who felt our plight & hooked it up just right is Kimora! She didn’t ignore the Big Gal market, she embraced it. And because of it, Big Gals all over the ‘Hood were eternally grateful.
Parting is such sweet sorrow. Most of us who came up with Kimora are now in our mid/late 30’s, too mature to rock the cat on your ass. So she & Baby Phat separating could be a blessing in disguise. It will free her up to focus on her lines Kouture by Kimora, & KLS, which is geared toward our age group. KLS will be Super, X-tra, Ultra, Uber Cool & youthfully exciting clothing, with a splash of Grown & Sexy. Personally, I’d been ready to make the transition with her a while ago. But after that disrespectful remark made on behalf of Kellwood, not only will I follow Kimora, but I will “unfollow” Baby Phat. For one Kimora IS Baby Phat. Her “over the top” personality is what made the Baby Phat brand. Like Diddy, she not only sold you clothes, but she sold you the illusion of her lifestyle, making you believe you too were Fabulous! Another reason to no longer support Baby Phat is because of that disrespectful “Size 10” statement. Good job B.P., you have now offended & disrespected half your loyal customers. And if you don’t respect me, you don’t respect my dollars, which I will keep tucked away in my new KLS purse.
Deuces!
Spread Love … It’s The Bklyn Way!
