Kimora Lee Simmons to relaunch Baby Phat

Baby Phat is on the verge of a comeback. Entrepreneur and former model Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner celebrated International Women's Day today by announcing that she has purchased Baby Phat and will relaunch the label this year. Simmons did not comment on who she bought the company from or for how much. The news was first reported by WWD.

Leissner was creative director of Baby Phat from 2000 to 2010, which was a female offshoot of her then-husband's clothing line Phat Farm and the women's streetwear label of his company Phat Fashions. She would eventually become president of Baby Phat during that time.

Baby Phat was one of the most profitable brands under Phat Fashions, generating 1 billion dollars in revenue. Baby Phat was sold to Kellwood in 2004, where Leissner continued to serve as the brand's creative director. The company expanded to launch a fragrance and expand into footwear, lingerie, children's wear, and interiors.

As Kellwood became a floundering business, Leissner departed the company in 2010.

She says that the relaunch of collection will be a mainstream sportswear collection targeted toward Millennials. The collection will be inspired by her personal archive of Baby Phat as well as retro elements from the prime days of the brand.

Leissner said that new messaging will be on the way for the brand as well to resonate with Generation Z consumers. A collaboration is also set to be part of the launch, but details on that have yet to be disclosed.

Despite originally leaving Baby Phat in 2010, Leissner has kept herself in the fashion game. She's had her own eponymous label that counts Bloomingdale's and Farfetch as stockists. She has said that both of the brands will be kept separate now, so any speculation of a merger is off of the table.