Very few early 2000's fashion labels have survived the test of time while simultaneously crafting the culture. There's Rocawear, which, I mean, who didn't wear Rocawear? There's FUBU, who came through with the ultimate 'For Us, By Us' empowerment vibes. There's Sean John, which I still see people wearing to this day. And for the ladies, there was Baby Phat.
Woman-owned, woman-curated, and woman-championed.
Listen, say what you want, but Baby Phat was a staple in a male-dominated game and competed at a level that not many could. Baby Phat was simply revolutionary. Revolutionary in the sense where, prior to its arrival, women's streetwear were mostly created as a subsidy of male brands, often ran by...men. Kimora Lee Simmons was simply on another level with how she moved, and for over 20 years, sis has paved a lane of making women of color feel seen and heard; or women in search of a blueprint.
These days, Kimora has opted for a tamer, quieter family life since ending operations in 2011, allowing her famous daughters, Ming and Aoki Lee, to pick up the baton and rep the name. But what are each of Kimora Lee Simmons' kids up to now?
Recently, her and her famous daughters relaunched the Baby Phat brand in a 2019 partnership with Forever 21 (which sold out in 24 hours), complete with enough nostalgic bedazzled shirts and fur-hooded coats to go around. Their newest venture, Baby Phat Beauty (an extension of the brand's relaunch) served as a reintroduction into the fragrance and beauty empire she very much so previously established with products such as Golden Goddess, Seductive Goddess, Fabulosity, and KLS Cosmetics. Oh, and a portion of all proceeds from sales went directly to Stacey Abrams, Fair Fight Initiative, to help end voter suppression--a move very on-brand for Kimora Lee Simmons, and very on-brand for Kimora Lee Simmons' kids.
Additionally, here's a fun update on what these mini moguls have been up to:
Ming Lee Simmons
Ming Lee Simmons/Instagram
Ming Lee Simmons, 20, the oldest of Kimora Lee Simmons' kids, has definitely picked up her mother's pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos. Aside from the hilarious trolling that her sister Aoki throws her way, you can often find her flexing her nearly identical maternal looks for the 'gram to her 1.1 million followers. She often posts her collabs with varying brands, demanding justice for social issues, posts throwbacks of her mom and/or dad, Russell Simmons, and flaunting her top-notch smize game. And despite her age, Ming's resume runs deep as she's ventured into modeling, with brands such as Lexus, and of course, Baby Phat.
The more docile of the bunch, Ming, has decided to carry the torch of fashion designer and trendsetter, something that her mom had her hand in since she could barely walk the runway. In her last interview with Teen Vogue, Ming says:
"When we were children, the world that my mom brought us into, it wasn't a choice. We did a lot of things that not a lot of other kids were doing. I would be like, 'I can't go to this school thing because I have to go with my mom to a photo shoot.'"
(Kimora was notorious for including her daughters in her productions, whether ending a fashion show or releasing new campaigns).
Ming is currently attending NYU, majoring in fashion and business, and also considering law school to further develop her business brilliance. And alongside her sister, she sits at the head of the Baby Phat conference room table as a lead designer, jotting her ideas, adding her personal flair, and having no problem proving how incredibly prepared she is to take the family name to the next level.
"Every step and every new piece brings me back to the conclusion that this is what I want to be doing," she says.
Aoki Lee Simmons
Aoki Lee Simmons/Instagram
Aoki Lee Simmons, 18, is less into the designing aspect of Baby Phat, and more into the business operatives. She manages the budget and financials, in addition to providing her design input and balancing her economic major at Harvard University—where she was accepted at age 16—and attends with the likes of other young black and brown starlets such as Malia Obama and Yara Shahidi. She often playfully gathers Ming by the neck for the entire world to see in the comedic banter of little sister teases, and like her mother and sister, Aoki also models for the brand, showing off her paternal beauty for the 'gram to her 640K followers.
Her bio reads "Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking", (a nod to Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris), where similarly, she has proven that she literally gives zero f*cks about getting you together, as she recently sparked attention after she called out a classmate who called her, and other classmates, the N-word, which as you can imagine, didn't go over so well for him.
At Harvard, Aoki ran for undergraduate council, which makes sense being that she often makes completely sensible demands in politics, and holds future Presidential aspirations. #Simmons2040 Additionally, she served as a panelist of 2019's Revolt Summit, perfectly divulging her generation's perspective on hot topics. From book recommendations to references to historical characters and following quantum physics and tech news hashtags, Aoki is pretty clear that she is one of a kind.
And much like our readers, she is big on identifying, and practicing, affirmative self-care habits. She tells Vogue:
"A huge part of self-care for me is reading. I just organized my personal library. I've been collecting books my whole life, so I've had a comfort thing over novels already. I've been doing some ballet. I love to journal as well."
Needless to say, the sisters aren't just living on the ranks of their very famous family. They have positioned themselves to be business women and fearless future leaders of an entire empire as well.
Wolfe, Kenzo, & Gary
As for the fellas of Kimora Lee Simmons' kids, they are growing and flourishing alongside their sisters. Still too young to determine any future endeavors, they're growing every day and experiencing life through their family's loving lens.
Kenzo Lee Honsou, 11 (with Djimon Hounsou), Gary Leissner, 10 (with Tim Leissner), and Wolfe Lee Leissner, 5 (with Tim Leissner), all of which are on the path of being groomed to join the empire as well. In speaking about them all, Kimora says:
"The most fulfilling thing in my life is to be a parent and a mother…That's what I was made to do, I'm very good at it; that's what I do. It's my thing."
Aoki shared a beautiful family photo of each of Kimora Lee Simmons' kids earlier this year, with more photos on them often shared on each of their Instagram accounts.
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We're enjoying seeing this family grow into their own, especially being that some of us have literally watched Ming and Aoki grow up before our very eyes. So for now, the ladies are holding down their mom's vision as they continue to expand the family brand.
And we cannot wait to see what brilliance they have up their newly revived, colorfully bedazzled sleeves.
Feature image by Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock.com
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Anyway, I personally think that the less shallow folks out here may contemplate calling things “quits” or they at least distance themselves a bit from their partner (and what I’m referring to is serious relationships) due to all of the stress and strain that oftentimes comes with the holidays whether it be financial, familial, due to their tight schedules or something else.
Listen, I would hate for you and your man to miss the fun and happiness of experiencing this time of year, all because you are so overwhelmed or irritated that you can’t really enjoy it. That’s why I have a few practical tips for how to avoid allowing the typical holiday season stress from INFECTING your relationship.
Manage Your Expectations
GiphyUnmanaged expectations. If there is a main reason why the holiday season tends to be so stress-filled for so many people, I’d bet good money that this is the cause. And when you’re in a long-term relationship, expectations can manifest themselves in all sorts of cryptic and/or unexpected ways. You might have relatives who assume that you are going to be with them for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have other plans in mind. You might be thinking that you are going to spend one amount for presents while your man is thinking something totally different. When it comes to scheduling, your signals may be crossed.
And you know what? To all of these scenarios, this is where clear and consistent communication come in. Don’t assume anything. Don’t dictate anything either. From now until New Year’s, mutually decide to check in once a week, just to make sure that you are both on the same page as it relates to the holidays and what you both are thinking will come along with it. The less blindsided you both feel, the less stressed out you will be. Trust me on this.
Set (and Keep) a Budget
GiphyOkay, so I read that last year, 36 percent of Americans incurred some type of holiday-related debt. Hmph. Last year, there was still some sense of normalcy in this country, chile, so I can only imagine what finances are gonna look like over the next several weeks. That said, since I don’t know a lot of people who don’t find being broke stressful, make sure that you and your bae set a budget and then stick to it this year — no ifs, ands or buts.
Because really, y’all — it doesn’t make sense to deplete savings and/or max out credit cards for a few days of giggles only to be damn near losing your mind because you don’t know how to make ends meet come Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
And by the way, this tip doesn’t just speak to things like food and gifts; I also mean travel. If it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or cents) to be all over the place this year — DON’T BE.
Keep Matthew 5:37 at the Forefront
GiphyIf off the top of your head, you don’t know what Matthew 5:37 says, no worries, here ya go: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That verse right there? Oh, it’s a boundaries lifesaver! I say that because do you see “maybe” or “I’ll think about it” in there? Nope. LOL. It says that you should tell people “yes” or “no” and leave it at that — and that complements Anne Lamott’s quote, “’No’ is a complete sentence” impeccably well. Yeah, you’ve got to remember that anything beyond a yes or no to a request is privileged information; you don’t owe anyone details or an explanation.
Besides, if you are really honest with yourself, when someone asks you something and you give a “Umm, let me think about it” kind of reply, more times than not, you already know what your answer is going to be — so why not let you both off of the hook? Give your response. Commit to that. And let everyone (including yourself) get on with their lives and schedules.
I promise you that when it comes to those holiday parties, you are pissing more folks off by not RSVP’ing or doing so and not showing up than just saying, “Thank you but not this year” off the rip.
Remember That Your Personal Space Is Privilege Not a Right
GiphyA friend of mine recently bought a new house and invited me over to come see it. He’s a single man with no children, so as I was taking in all of the space that he had, especially as I walked through his finished basement, I joked about relatives coming to live with him. “Hell no” and “absolutely not” were pretty much his immediate responses as he went on to say that some folks even had the nerve to be offended when he told them that he had no intentions on taking DNA in.
Ain’t it wild how people think that your stuff is their right? And yes, that brings me to my next point. Your home is your sanctuary space. If you want to host folks this year — cool. If not, ALSO COOL. Please don’t let folks (family included) guilt you into how they want you to act or even into what they would do if the shoe was on the other foot. You are not them — and as one of my favorite quotes states, “If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.” (A man by the name Larry Dixon said that.)
Hell, my friends? They know that I am good for sending them random things that they need or even want all throughout the year. Coming over to hang out at my pace, though. Uh-uh. Chalk it up to being a card-carrying member of the ambivert club yet I like keeping my living space personal — and I sleep like a baby, each and every night, for feeling that way.
Always remember that your space, your time, your resources, your energy and shoot, yourself period (including your relationship), are all things that are your own. You get to choose how, when and why you want to share them. The holiday season is certainly no exception.
Cultivate Some “You Two Only” Traditions
GiphyIt’s not uncommon for some couples to hit me up after the holiday season to “detox.” Sometimes it’s due to the financial drama (and sometimes trauma) that they experienced. Sometimes it’s because they allowed their relatives (especially in-laws) to get more into their personal business than they should’ve. More than anything, though, it tends to be because they didn’t get enough quality time together and so ended up feeling “disconnected.”
Please don’t let that happen. Listen, I’m not even a holidays kind of woman and yet, I will absolutely sit myself down with some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy a Hallmark holiday film or two. Aside from the fact that most of them are lighthearted and sweet, I also like that they usually focus on couples loving on each other amidst all of the holiday beauty and ambiance — which is something that all couples should set aside some time to do.
Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s a staycation. Or maybe it’s my personal favorite, A SEXCATION. Whether it’s for a few days, the weekend or even overnight — don’t you let the holidays go by without setting aside time for you and your man to celebrate one another. Don’t you dare (check out “Are You Ready To Have Some Very Merry 'Christmas Sex'?”).
GET. SOME. REST.
GiphyI once read that 8 out of 10 people get stressed out over the holidays and 3 out of 10 lose sleep during to it — and when you’re stress-filled and sleep-deprived, that can absolutely lead to hypersensitivity, making mountains out of molehills and even not being in the mood for sex.
Your relationship can’t afford to go through any of this, so definitely make sure to prioritize rest. I don’t care how unrealistic it might seem during this time, sleep should never be seen as a luxury; it will always and forever be a great necessity.
That said, try to get no less than six hours of shut-eye in (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”) and even ask your bae to take a nap with you sometimes (check out “Wanna Have Some Next-Level Sex? Take A Nap, Sis.”). Not only will sleep help to restore your mind, body and spirit but, when it’s with your partner, it’s an act of intimacy that can make you both feel super connected, even in the midst of what might feel like chaos.
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Holiday season stress is real. Still, never give it the permission or power to throw your relationship off. Put you and your man first and let the holidays be what they are gonna be, chile.
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