Baby Phat’s Year on Life Support

“The only certain freedom’s in departure.” –Robert Frost

One year ago, on Friday, August 20th, Kimora Lee Simmons responded to questions, via Twitter, about the status of her position as Creative Director at Phat Fashions. She announced that her relationship with Phat Fashions, at that very moment, was over. It was so casual and abrupt all at once that the way it was handled still shocks me--even as I find myself experiencing something so similar it’s a little unsettling. Unsettling because it’s a stark reminder that it can happen to any woman of color, in any industry, at any time.

As I write this, I realize that I’m as exhausted as I’ve been in weeks and I wonder, why do Black women have to catch so much hell? That will be the theme for this weekend…this anniversary weekend…of Kimora’s departure from Phat Fashions, i.e., the devil’s lair. I know that Kimora is half-Asian. I know that. But, it is that other half…her blackness and her…woman-ness that were most likely the reason for the majority of the crap that led to the unraveling of one of the most iconic brands the fashion world has ever known. And, I absolutely do not intend to imply that it was simply Kimora’s race and gender that caused this. For certain, it was a combination of things tossed at her, and Baby Phat customers, by some racist, sexist scum. I hope that I’ve done a fair job of discussing many of those over the past several months. This weekend, we’ll take a little trip down memory lane and make sure that there isn’t something that we’ve missed, and let these MFers know that we will continue to boycott that tainted brand.

But, back to this one year “anniversary” before now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep! I remember that night (that Kimora confirmed the split) almost like it was yesterday. Well, maybe not yesterday, but I remember it pretty well. I was pissed! Nothing seemed to add up, and Kimora’s tone in those tweets said it all, she was not happy about the split and that infuriated me so much, words can scarcely describe.

Now, one year later, the brand is just laying there, flat, on life support, trying one desperate measure after another to restore things to their former glory. It’s pathetic and this weekend, I think it only makes sense that we remind the world about the travesty of what Kellwood Company did to Kimora, Baby Phat customers and the fashion industry itself. I have some other items that I’d like to point out this weekend and I have some questions that I’m hoping one of the Kellwood snoops might be capable of answering for me. Let’s see if we can’t get a little closer to pulling the plug on this bitch. --Sugar

Force of Beauty

You have to do yourself a favor and read Devorah Rose's Social Life Magazine feature article on Kimora Lee Simmons. It's one of the best articles I've read, of the many that have been published over the past several months, about Kimora. Take this for instance (from the article):

Do you recall the tale of how Athena sprung from the cranium of Zeus? Well, if a tsunami were birthed from a volcano in a similar manner, then imprisoned in the body of a Disney princess, the result would be the tumultuous and beautiful predicament that is Kimora Lee Simmons.

A fan-TASTIC introduction! Rose talks about Kimora's savvy as a businesswoman, including the fact that she helped the Phat Fashions empire gross over $850,000,000 in retail sales before moving on, and Kimora's present and future projects. I had to type all of the zeroes in order to drive the point home about the sales numbers. Over 850 MILLION dollars! Is there any wonder why she doesn't ever sleep?!

Head over to Kimora's website, http://www.kls.com/ and read the full article and take a look at the photographs taken during the shoot for the spread. What I think isn't emphasized nearly enough in these articles is how young Kimora is considering she's doing all of this ass kicking! She has barely scratched the surface of the plethora of ideas and possibilities brewing inside that head of hers. It is a revolution that I'm so pleased to be witnessing. And, I absolutely meant revolution. Evolution isn't a word quite strong enough to describe what this woman is about to do to the fashion world. You'd be wise to keep a close eye on her too. Who knows when we'll see something this fantastic again. Super nova. --Sugar

Djimon and Kimora Add to Mandela Legacy

Kimora and her hubby Djimon have a lot going on this week as they criss cross South Africa continuing the great work that they are all too well-known for. They are taking part in the wonderful celebrations happening in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday. Last year, while attending the World Cup festivities, the gorgeous couple took some time to lend their hands to the Mandela Legacy Canvas...literally. That's them adding their hand prints to the canvas back in September in the picture above. From the Times Live:

...the canvas carries hand-prints, messages and signatures of 67 celebrities from all over the world. It will be auctioned on Saturday to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation and mayoral charities.

Simmons was flown to the country by the City of Cape Town as a VIP guest at the auction. She will host a Destiny magazine party at Kenny Kunene's ZAR club in Cape Town on Saturday after the auction. Simmons features on the cover of this month's issue of Destiny.

Fantastic, right?! Right! Follow Kimora on her Twitter Account, @OfficialKimora where she gives details about the trip each day. She says she also plans to attend Cape Town Fashion Week events, so definitely look for some great pictures and descriptions at KLS.com in the coming days.

I think this is so great. Kimora puts so much good energy out into the universe that she can only look forward to even bigger things coming her way. These rats meanwhile, can only look forward to making preparations to make the announcement that Baby Phat, as a brand, has become obsolete. The Baby Phat "movement" left the building last August--nearly one year ago. It will never be the same. No respect? No dollars. --Sugar

Toss That Baby Phat Prepaid Visa Card!

Out with the old and in with the new! If you've been carrying around one of those Baby Phat RushCards, cut that up and toss it in the trash. This week, the brand new KLS RushCard was unveiled and it's ready for your shopping, saving and bill-paying pleasure. Check out more on the card here and remember, No Respect? No dollars! Leave all Baby Phat apparel, and those damn Prepaid cards behind. I don't want to see that cat ANYwhere! --Sugar

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

Kimora Does Fashion Police!

Last week, Kimora Lee Simmons sent a tweet saying she was on the way to shoot an episode of E!'s Fashion Police. It aired this past Friday and continues to roll out in other parts of the world and the reviews are in: Kimora, who was sitting in for the absent Giuliana Rancic, was a hit! I think Ms. Joan can find another seat up there on the set for our girl. Let her and Fashion Police know! Check out a clip at this link and check your local listings to find out when the episode might air again in your market. --Sugar

Is That A.....SAFETY Pin?!

Are you kidding me? You have to be kidding. Did these mofos leave a damn safety pin on that poor kid's jacket, then see the damn pin (which they must have during review of the shots) and leave it there anyway and go to print with the posters for the display? Are you kidding me?!!! Baby Phat and its parent company, Kellwood Company, can't possibly have any respect for urban buyers to allow this crap to be published like this. I'd be willing to bet almost everything I own that Kimora Lee Simmons would have never stood for this.

One of my cousins, who lives in New York and who knows how much I loathe these idiots and how they handled the separation with Kimora from Phat Fashions, sent me the pictures above today. She sent them pretty early in the day, but I didn't have a chance to look at them until much later in the afternoon. I was nearly speechless.

The pictures, with the bootleg Ming and Aoki who they've used in previous ads, are on display in one of the most well-known Macy's stores in the world--Macy's Herald Square. No idea what that means? This, from the Macy's website about this particular location:

From it's very inception, Macy’s Herald Square was a store unlike any other and over the past 150 years it has become a true New York City icon. Built in 1902, Herald Square was the first building to have the modern day escalator. Since then, Macy’s Herald Square has continued to be a trendsetter and today, "America's Largest Department Store" covers an entire city block with ten and a half levels of the latest fashions for you and your home. For your convenience, Macy's offers a full service Visitor Center located on the 34th Street Balcony Level, restaurants throughout the store and exciting events almost every day.

This store gets a LOT of traffic every day. Considering that an untold number of people still don't know that Kimora is no longer heading up Phat Fashions, it can only be assumed that anyone who sees that bullshit thinks she's the one who allowed it--a damn big safety pin tacked on that kid's back and haphazardly left there during the course of the photo shoot. Ridiculous.

The real problem though is there is no way in hell the marketing director for this shoot didn't see that pin on that jacket during review of the pictures. That he said, "Fugg it. Who cares?" (because after all, it's mostly a bunch of urban customers) and let it go to print, speaks volumes about their attitude towards those same urban customers. That we (Well, they. I wouldn't buy a headband from the bastards anymore.) don't deserve a truly high-quality attempt at earning our continued purchase of those products, even though millions are spent on them every year disgusts me. You think there's a Polo ad out there with a big ass safety pin visible on one of the models when it shouldn't be? Hell no!

Please don't spend your money on this crap. The quality of that clothing left when the heart and soul of the brand left nearly one year ago. It's over. Kellwood Company has absolutely no respect for the predominantly urban and minority buyers of those brands or they wouldn't keep kicking out those shoddy goods and trying to slip a fake Ming and Aoki past buyers. We've all grown up with Kimora and we've been watching her girls grow up. This is much more than just a line of apparel. That's what you goons failed to realize. But, as long-time buyers of the brand continue to abandon ship, soon enough you'll have to publicly acknowledge that fact. I'll be right here waiting with a frosty glass of libation and a sense of satisfaction that no amount of money could buy. Are you ready? --Sugar