A Funeral For the Baby Phat Cat

For well over a decade, the Baby Phat cat,based upon Kimora's real cat known as Max who is no longer with us, has been an iconic symbol in the fashion world. When Kimora Lee Simmons came up with the concept, it took hold to the hearts and minds of girls and women the world over and it's permanent position there seemed unquestionable. But, is anything really permanent? Besides, herpes and George Hamilton's tan? Okay, maybe a few more things...but, life is fluid and ever changing and today, I saw another testament to that fact.

Kimora sent this tweet earlier today and when I clicked the link to picture, the next thing I heard was a loud smack! The sound of a hammer on a nail, jetting through wood, sealing some ish. It was another nail in the Baby Phat coffin. Girls have been getting the Baby Phat Cat tattoos for many, many, many years. Just Google it! A lot of them send Kimora pictures via Twitter and I'm sure via other means well before Twitter even existed. Many of these tattoos have no doubt been acquired because the symbol is sexy, but many of those were also no doubt placed on various body parts all over the world simply because these bold individuals wanted to show support for Kimora--of varying levels...

Now, we have this young lady, who is in Russia I believe, getting Kimora's initials tattooed on her body. Oh the sweet joy I felt knowing that this truly is it--the turning point in this saga. The cat who inspired the Baby Phat Cat left us many years ago, but I think it's time to start planning the funeral for the logo (and brand) as well.

There's an old superstition that claims that a cat has 9 lives. The reason for the saying is really interesting and might have been a bit of hope for Kellwood Company, owners of the Baby Phat brand since 2004, but they've driven it to just about 8.5 in that longevity windfall...

So, since the annual Essence Music Festival just wrapped up in New Orleans, let's keep it there with a little New Orleans Jazz Funeral music as we remember the good times we all had watching Baby Phat and Kimora evolve over the years. It's time we leave Baby Phat behind (besides, it's owned by a bunch of scumbags) and move along with Kimora into bigger and better, more mature things. What says that more than the power of her own initials?

Check out the touching moment from tuba player Kerwin James's funeral below. --Sugar