Kimora Lee Simmons, 50, and Russell Simmons, 68, have not been married for 17 years, but the former couple still has a lot to say about their past lives as spouses and business partners.
The former supermodel and the Def Jam Recordings co-founder first met in 1991, when Kimora was 16. They tied the knot in December 1998 and share two daughters, Ming Lee Simmons, 26, and Aoki Lee Simmons, 24.
Aside from their relationship, the two fashion pioneers worked together to launch the Baby Phat street womenswear clothing brand in 1999 as an offshoot of the Russell-led Phat Farm menswear line.
Kimora opened the conversation about the St. Louis native starting the once-popular female brand during a recent appearance on the “Aspire podcast with Emma Grede.”
When asked if she had an ownership stake in Baby Phat, Kimora explained, “Yes, of course. Yes. But it was the smallest piece of the business, right? Because there were other guys and other partners, and the guys were my ex-husband’s friends.”
streetwear with a flair velor suit, stretchy jeans with pockets
“Did you own enough of the business given your contribution?” Grede, 43, asked, prompting Kimora to reply, “No, definitely not.”
She went on to note that, “We built that company up and probably sold it for a hundred and something million dollars. I probably got 20 million of that or less out of a hundred something million dollars. And the entire sale was based on Baby Phat,” adding that Phat Farm was “obsolete” at the time.
KIMORA LEE DESCRIBES HOW SHE BUILT THE BABY PHAT BRAND?‼️🤔 pic.twitter.com/Te4DUMey0T
— SoulFood66 (@BlackAndNative1) April 13, 2026
Baby Phat reportedly reached $1 billion in sales during its peak, before being sold to Kellwood in 2010. Kimora reacquired the company in 2019 and teamed up with Forever 21 for a holiday collaboration that featured creative contributions from Ming and Aoki.
Kenzo Lee Hounsou, Kimora’s son with her ex-partner, “Amistad” actor Djimon Hounsou, was part of the relaunched Baby Phat and Phat Farm capsule, too.
While the next generation of the fashion family dynasty was locked in with their mom’s revived endeavor, the original patriarch seems to feel like his role in launching the company has been wrongly downplayed.
“I gave her the brand, which already existed, I put her in Baby Phat leather shorts the day we met,” Russell declared in a comment screenshot by The Shade Room, referring to the first encounter back in the early 1990s.
Another power couple fashion moment. Baby Phat and Phat Farm by Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons pic.twitter.com/rQ9ARqy048
— What A Time (@WhatATimeCast) December 7, 2017
The former music industry executive, “I found designers… made her famous and marketed the brand with her face. Eventually, she learned and blossomed. She did a good job. BUT NOTE… very generous of me.”
Unsurprisingly, Russell’s choice to weigh in on Kimora’s remarks about the amount of money she supposedly made from Baby Phat generated varied reactions from fans online.
One Instagram user posted, “She was like 16, and he was like 35. It’s really the least he could do.” Similarly, a comment read, “Oh wow,” while a more dramatic response read, “Wow 100M and the brand is completely obsolete now?! Wow that’s wild! Like who bought it and what happened??”
“Y’all mad at the truth lol! He built an entire BRAND… stop playing with him! He definitely made her relevant; he’s an icon!” exclaimed another commenter in defense of Simmons.
In contrast, another person insisted, “He might have given it to her, but she still had to be able to carry it. We would not have been so in love with Baby Phat if it was [not] for [Kimora].”
“She did what women are supposed to do, multiply and add value,” wrote another Kimora backer. Russell was even compared to the polarizing president when someone suggested, “This sounded very Trump-ish of Unc!”
Baby Phat became a cultural phenomenon in the 2000s that helped elevate hip-hop streetwear into the mainstream, thanks to Ming and Aiko’s mom and dad pushing the product as well as celebrities such as rap stars Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott embracing the clothes.
It appears both Kimora and Russell want to be seen as the driving force of Baby Phat reaching the heights that it did, even after their marriage fell apart in 2006. It took another two years before their divorce was finalized, and the debate about who was more responsible for the rise of Baby Phat will likely play out for years to come.
