Baby Phat Without Kimora is a BUST

Sunday night's episode of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane stated very plainly that Kimora is no longer at Baby Phat/Phat Fashions. The episode was very tastefully put together (cause I might have done a little too much on the f*ck em side of things) with great scenes of Kimora's team reminiscining and working to help her move forward in the days and weeks after the disgusting thing that Kellwood Company (owners of Baby Phat) did to her. It was very touching.

I'm not going to belabor the point here, so let me cut to the chase. If you stumbled upon this blog. Good. Kimora is not at Baby Phat/Phat Fashions anymore and it is for some very foul reasons. See articles here, here and here for some insight, but the bottom line is that she and Kellwood parted ways in August, 2010 (with allegations swarming that it was because of her weight!), Kellwood made no public statement or announcement, refuses to answers questions about why the partnership dissolved and yet allows customers to continue to buy, assuming that they are supporting Kimora in the process.

They think we are fools. Has any other brand with such world-wide appeal been through such a shakeup at the top with NO proper public sendoff for the one who orchestrated the entire deal!? Hell no! So, why in the HELL is this the way this brand was handled?! I'll tell you. A bunch of racist, sexist, scum runs the brand and they have no respect for the customers who make the brand a multi-million dollar a year force.

So, before I ramble on for too long, I urge you to join the rest of us in a boycott of all Baby Phat/Phat Farm clothing items. Don't buy any of it! No respect? No dollars. Enough with this shit. If it were merely that Kellwood wanted to go in another direction with the brand (and, I don't know why the hell they woulda done that when it still has such mass appeal), they would have stated such by now. They are pigs and they don't deserve our support, so don't give it!

Priscilla, a member of Kimora's team sent this tweet earlier Sunday night:

I truly hope every1 understands tht @OfficialKimora created a FAMILY (not a
staff)...Family 1st...& NO ONE can tear us apart! #Fabulosity #fb

Word up, Priscilla and we won't let anyone tear you guys apart.

This is only the beginning of the real beatdown you are about to receive, Kellwood. And, if you think some hastily put together statement or press conference is going to calm these folks down, you can forget it. You fools should have addressed this months ago, or better yet, handled the whole thing like some effing professionals. Well, we got something for that.... --Sugar

Baby Phat MUST Be Destroyed

It looks as though Sunday night's episode of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane will address the fact that Kimora is no longer at Baby Phat/Phat Fashions. If the whole episode is anything like the preview (see the video below), it is sure to be a tear jerker. And, let me say, that as I watched the clip, which showed Kimora and Sandra speaking after a phone call related to the departure, something really struck me. Sandra appears to not only be a dedicated member of Kimora's staff, but a genuine friend. She looked just as heartbroken about the fact that Kimora was upset, as she was about why Kimora was upset. That was nice to see, because I'm sure there were many people who were and still are happy about what happened. So, Sandra rocks.

It's just all so terrible to me. Here we are going in to SIX MONTHS since the dirty deed was done and Kellwood Company (owners of Baby Phat/Phat Fashions since 2004 I believe) has not offered a single reason for Kimora's untimely dismissal from the brand that she built and nurtured from the ground up. They've taken over the brand's Twitter account and are perpetrating as though the tweets are coming from Kimora, or someone on her team, and never have the decency to even inform people who message them that she isn't there. It's just disgusting!

Kellwood thinks that Baby Phat's customer base, pre their dismissal of Kimora, is made up of fools and morons. They have to or they would have handled this differently. Baby Phat started out as a brand geared primarily towards urban buyers, but soon grew into a behemoth, with customers spanning the globe and from all walks of life. All of it in great part due to Kimora's business savvy. Kellwood, and their puppeteers Sun Capital, wouldn't have purchased Baby Phat/Phat Fashions if they didn't think it was worth it. They bought it because they knew it was a money-maker. It's time out for that shit. No respect? No dollars. Don't buy any Baby Phat/Phat Farm clothing items. We have to show them that not only do they not get to disrespect Kimora, they don't get to disrespect us! WE all deserved to be told this news properly, and you certainly don't keep taking my money under the guise that you are somebody else and think I'm not going to be mad as hell.

I got lots more I want to unload in this post, but I'm going to save it for tomorrow after the episode is done. Watch the clip below and don't miss a second of tomorrow night's episode of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane at 9pm Eastern on the Style Network. It'll start airing on E! (channel) soon, so if you don't have Style, you should be able to catch it there shortly.

I do hope that you all will join me and the countless others who have decided to boycott Baby Phat. It's going to take a while for us to break this brand. Kimora didn't build it overnight and we aren't going to dismantle it overnight, which speaks to just how deeply she'd penetrated the market! The smart bitch! :) And, while it's tough to have to tell people that she isn't there any longer, and why, and "comfort" them in their anguish and disgust, it must continue. I told you jerks that I wasn't going anywhere and I'm not. Scratch that....WE are not going anywhere, and it's just a matter of time before we break you. You might not have made an announcement that Kimora isn't there any longer, but you damn sure will have to make an announcement, to somebody, soon about the fact that the brand is DONE! --Sugar

Kimora: Bumrushing the Airwaves

Alright, I'm a huge fan of Kimora Lee Simmons, all day, but this blog is really not supposed to be a fanclub offering. It was expressly started to stick it to "the man"...which we have all come to know and hate by their government name, Kellwood Company. But, I think this media satellite tour that KLS is on serves as another form of sticking it to "the man", so check out a couple of Kimora's latest television appearances below, including George Lopez's, Lopez Tonight, and a visit to CBS's The Talk.

Remember, do not buy any Baby Phat clothing items. Nothing. They have disrespected not only Kimora, for the cowardly way that they dismissed her with nary a public announcement or proper sendoff, but they have also disrespected us, the customer and fan base. They know that most Baby Phat/Phat Farm customers are not only loyal to the brand, but are also fiercely loyal to Kimora. Their silence about the fact that the woman who truly made the brand what it is, is no longer there, is disgusting to say the least and they are counting on us not knowing and just continuing to buy.

Kellwood's failure to make a public announcement and send Kimora off with a proper farewell shows their lack of respect for customers who spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Baby Phat and Phat Farm clothing items annually. I don't care how much you like a particular pair of jeans or a top or a hat, whatever, from them. Do.Not.Buy.It. There are other brands that are more than willing to take your money and show that they respect the strength of your buying power. No respect? No dollars.

And, don't forget to watch Kimora's Life in the Fab Lane tonight (every Sunday) at 9pm on the Style Network! Looks like we'll be getting further insight into the Baby Phat breakdown. Disgusts me. --Sugar

Lopez Tonight

The Talk

R.I.P. Meg

I was checking stats for this blog today when I saw that in one of the searches that led someone to the site, the words "obituary" were used along with Meg Wasley's name. Meg was one of the little girls granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to be a model for a day. Her wish was granted with an invitation to Aoki Lee Simmons's 8th birthday party, which had a fashion show theme, complete with an opportunity for Meg and the other little divas to walk the runway after getting some tips from Kimora on how to "work" it. As fate would have it, the party and fashion show were featured on this past Sunday's season premiere episode of Kimora's Life in the Fab Lane on the Style Network.

When I saw the keyword terms that led some visitors to the blog I hoped against hope that she hadn't passed away, but I had a feeling that she had, considering the fact that she was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They usually deal with children who are suffering from life threatening illnesses--many of whom are not doing so well health-wise.

So, I did a search and there it was...a funeral home's website with a memorial page set up just for her. She passed away Monday. I was crushed, but I absolutely believe that little Meg is in a better place and now, she no longer has to suffer. I hope and pray that her mom and dad find comfort in knowing that she's inspired so many of us to smile through some of our darkest moments, because she looked like she was really having a great time on Fab Lane. Kimora sent this very touching message via Twitter earlier today.:

One of my lil fab models Meg age 10 from season premiere of #LIFL has passed away! But not before 1st realizing her dream 2 be a real model! She graced our runway and our tv show and made us laugh and smile! Thanks 2 #MakeAWish for inviting me to help make her lifes wish come true! RIP Meg!! You will not be forgotten!♥ you represent true #Fabulosity! http://t.co/3A7Ju7t #fb

The reason why people were being driven to this blog after searching her name and Kimora's is because back in October, I wrote this post, AFTER Baby Phat Split, Kimora Grants Girl's Wish. The post was really more about Taal Moseley, because her hometown paper had written an article about her trip to meet Aoki, Ming and Kimora, but Meg's name was mentioned, so dozens and dozens of people have been driven here to this blog. So bittersweet...

I'm sure Meg's parents and her brother have an ache in their hearts right now that I can scarcely understand, but I will say a prayer for them tonight to find comfort. Rest in peace, Meg. --Sugar

She's BACK!

There are only a few shows that I watch regularly on television, and then only a few things I'll watch religiously in-season. Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane is one such show and Sunday, January 9th, the stars will align yet again and bring all that television goodness back into my living room when it returns! I can't wait and it'll be interesting to see how Kimora's ridiculous dismissal from Baby Phat/Phat Fashions is addressed.

AND, "sweet baby Kenzo" will make his debut on the Fab Lane! Well, he showed up at the end of the last season, fresh out the womb, but this season it looks like he's making his own push for some camera time. He is so absolutely adorable.

I'm very happy for Kimora, because I'm sure the past several months have been at least a bit jarring. I think the show is a great platform to keep fans updated on what she's working on and I think it allows for a small look at just how hard she and her team work to make it all happen.

I work for a black woman right now who is constantly catching hell even though what she's doing is changing lives and getting results. So, dealing with that and staying attuned to what's happening with Kimora only makes me that much more vigilant and determined to make sure that every single consumer who would even consider buying Baby Phat knows about this situation. It's disgusting and at the heart of it is sexism and racism.

In fact, as a black woman, especially from the South, I've always been aware of my black womanness, but never moreso than at this very moment in time. The parallels between how the woman that I work for is treated and how Kimora is treated would seem uncanny to some. But really, they aren't. Anytime a black woman dares to be attractive and fashionable and have something to say--and the drive and determination to make something happen...somebody's got a problem with her. It never fails. Never does.

So, before I go on for much too long, consider what's actually happened here with the way Kimora was dismissed from Phat Fashions by Kellwood before you buy another single damn clothing item from them. Stand on principle! There are dozens of other brands out there you can choose from, including Kimora's own still growing line! Don't allow your desire for a pair of jeans or a top cause you to spend your hard-earned cash on items from a company that considers you a mindless sheep.

That Kellwood didn't even think the customer base deserved to be formally told, by them, that Kimora wasn't going to be leading the company anymore, after all she did for that brand, is the ultimate slap to the face--ours and hers and they can kiss my ass. No respect, no dollars. Tune in to the show Sunday night at 9pm on Style Network and show Kimora some love on Twitter during and after! --Sugar