| Kimora Lee Simmons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Kimora Lee Perkins |
| Born: | May 4, 1975 |
| Birth Hometown: | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Occupation: | Model TV personality Businesswoman |
| Years active: | 1988–present |
Kimora Lee Leissner (previously Simmons, née Perkins; born May 4, 1975) is an American model, television personality and businesswoman who took over Baby Phat and was CEO/creative director through 2010. She had her own reality television shows Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane (2007–2011) and Kimora: House of Fab (2013).
Early life[]
Kimora Lee Perkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri and spent her early life in the northern St. Louis suburb of Florissant, Missouri. She is of African-American and Japanese-Korean heritage. Her father worked as a Federal Marshal, an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigator, a bail bondsman and later became a barber in St. Louis. He was sentenced to prison for distribution of narcotics when Kimora was in grade school. Her parents split up and she was raised by her mother.
Nearly 6 feet tall by age 10, she was teased because of her height. To boost her confidence because of her height, Kimora's mother enrolled her in a modeling class when she was eleven years old.
Career[]
At age 13, Perkins signed a modeling contract with Chanel and under the tutelage of Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. Simmons helped inspire Lagerfeld's creative vision and call for racial inclusion, and paved the way for other mixed race models in the fashion world. Lagerfeld deemed her the "Face of the 21st Century".
She gained attention in the fashion world when she closed Lagerfeld's haute couture show in 1989 as the "bride" – the concluding bridal look signature to every Chanel show under Lagerfeld's tenure
Simmons later modeled for Fendi, Valentino, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior, Roberto Cavalli, Kenzo, Anna Sui, Geoffrey Beene, and Yves Saint Laurent.
In 1998, Simmons' then-husband, music mogul and entrepreneur Russell Simmons, was at the helm of "Phat Farm", an urban menswear brand. Simmons created a parallel women's brand, "Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons", under the umbrella of "Phat Fashions". Simmons stepped in as Baby Phat's designer, creating a collection based on what she would wear.
In 2000, Simmons was appointed president and creative director of the Baby Phat brand. In 2001, Baby Phat reported gross revenue earnings of $30 million. By 2002, Phat Farm and Baby Phat had made a combined profit of $265 million.
In 2004, the Kellwood Company purchased Phat Fashions for $140 million. Simmons stayed on as president and creative director of Baby Phat, expanding the label into a "lifestyle brand" with denim, accessories, jewelry, swimwear, fragrance and lingerie categories.
Later that year, the label expanded to selling a custom Motorola i833 mobile phone sold exclusively at Bloomingdale's and partnered with Vida Shoes International, Inc. to create a shoe line.
In 2006, she was named president of parent company Phat Fashions. In 2007, Phat fashions partnered with Silver Goose/Kidstreet to create an infant and toddler accessory line.
In 2008, the Kellwood Company sold a majority stake in Phat Fashions to Sun Capital Partners, after which Simmons left Phat Fashions in 2010.
In 2019, Simmons announced she had reacquired the Baby Phat brand, and in August 2020 she announced Baby Phat Beauty line curated by her daughters Ming Lee and Aoki Lee.
In 1998, Simmons took on her first TV personality role, hosting One World Music Beat. In 2004, she hosted the syndicated talkshow Life and Style for Sony Pictures Television, which filmed in front of a live studio audience. Kimora also took part in several specials for VH1 titled Uncut New York Fashion Week and Party Fabulous.
In 2003, Simmons served as a judge on season 1 of America's Next Top Model, alongside Tyra Banks, and also judged the franchise's Germany's Next Topmodel as well.
Showcasing Simmons' life as a businesswoman who balances her family life, she was the focal star of the Style Network's show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane. This reality show debuted in 2007 and lasted for seven seasons. Simmons herself served as producer for four episodes in 2007 and then as executive producer for another ten episodes between 2009 and 2010.
Kimora: House of Fab debuted in 2013 in tandem with Simmons' tenure at JustFab. She also served as executive producer for each episode which aired on the Style Network.
Simmons produced Def Poetry Jam on Broadway for which she won a Tony Award in 2003 for a "Special Theatrical Event".
Her 2006 book Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It was published by Harper Entertainment and garnered positive reviews as a lifestyle manual from such publications as the Washington Post and Boston Globe.
Simmons established the Kimora Lee Simmons Scholarship Fund at her high school alma mater in St. Louis to provide college tuition support for academically successful girls with financial needs and is an active member of youth advocacy organizations including Amfar, The G&P Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, Hetrick-Martin Institute and Rush Philanthropic, where she is on the board of directors. The mayor of St. Louis presented Simmons the key to the city and named March 18, 2008 "Kimora Day" in St. Louis.
Simmons has appeared in multiple roles in television and films including Beauty Shop, Brown Sugar, and Waist Deep. She has also appeared in music videos for Ginuwine, Usher and Jay-Z, as well as in video games.
Personal life[]
Kimora Lee Perkins married Russell Simmons on 20 December 1998 in St. Barts. They met at 1992's New York Fashion Week --when she was 17 and he was 35--and began dating. They have two daughters, Ming Lee Simmons (born January 2000) and Aoki Lee Simmons (born August 2003). The couple separated in March 2006 and later divorced.
In July 2004, Simmons was arrested and charged with reckless driving, eluding police, driving with a broken brake light, and marijuana possession after a two-mile chase that began near the Saddle River Police Station and ended outside her estate in Saddle River, New Jersey. On August 9, 2005, she pleaded guilty to the reckless driving charge and was placed on six months' probation.
Simmons began dating actor and former model Djimon Hounsou in 2006. In 2008 they had a wedding ceremony in Benin, and she publicly claimed to be married. In May 2009, she gave birth to their son Kenzo Lee Hounsou. Their relationship ended in 2012; with Hounsou revealing they never married in USA because Kimora was still married to Russell in 2008. Kimora Lee Simmons with then-partner Djimon Honsou at the Push premiere in 2009
In February 2014, Simmons confirmed that she had married Tim Leissner, a banker at Goldman Sachs. In April 2015, Simmons gave birth to their son, Wolfe Lee Leissner. Leissner was subsequently convicted for his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. Leissner allegedly personally stole some $200 million from 1MDB. During the trial Leissner revealed that he was still married to second wife Judy Chan Leissner (he also married Chan while still married to his first wife in London); he lied to Kimora and showed fake divorce documents attesting to being divorced from Chan .
Simmons went back to school in 2017 to complete her business degree, announcing her graduation from the University of Hartford in June 2018.
In January 2020, Kimora adopted 10-year-old Gary Lee, making her a mother of five.