Like it or not, Y2K style has dominated the catwalks and street style scene for the past few years—meaning, suddenly, low-rise jeans, graphic tees, and extremely mini skirts are in again. And now, one of the most popular brands from the decade is also making a comeback. Today, Kimora Lee Simmons officially relaunches Baby Phat—the 2000s label that became a hip-hop sensation, not to mention a worldwide billion-dollar empire at its peak, complete with fashion, jewelry, and fragrances (remember Goddess?).
Simmons—an American model-turned-designer and entrepreneur—launched Baby Phat in 1999 with an emphasis on baby tees with bedazzled logos. “Me and my friends would buy kid’s T-shirts and wear them, so I started making them for Baby Phat,” Simmons tells Vogue. In the 2000s, the brand picked up momentum, with Baby Phat’s figure-hugging jeans and fur-hood bombers further putting them on the fashion map.
Their splashy runway shows—a New York Fashion Week highlight—became a celebrity draw as well, and it didn’t take long for some of hip-hop’s brightest stars, including Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim, to start wearing the line. “It was a really great time in terms of originality, flair, and coolness,” says Simmons of the era. “I like to call it my graduating class: Everybody was cool; the socialites, singers, movies stars, models. It was a time!”
Though Baby Phat ceased operations in 2010—due mostly to Simmons’s departure from the brand, and fashion moving on from the blingy, maximalist fashion of the 2000s—the designer repurchased the brand back from an anonymous seller in 2019.
While Baby Phat has since released capsule collaborations with retailers such as Forever 21 and Macy’s, today Simmons unveils the label’s first fall collection, available on its own e-commerce website. “I wanted to reconnect with the customer about what they want and what they love,” says Simmons. “It’s a small, intimate ode to our originals—our velour suits, baby tees, and denim. It’s timeless, classy, and sexy: You can wear it from the beach to the club.”
Priced from $40 to $100, the fall pieces are a clear homage to Baby Phat’s famous signatures. There’s the return of Simmons’s baby tees (complete with its iconic Siamese cat logo), the cargo pants and skirts, and their famous five-pocket jeans, which were one of their best-sellers back in the 2000s. “It didn’t matter if you were a boy or girl, everyone was wearing Baby Phat [jeans,]” says Simmons. “It was a very different time 20-something years ago. Everybody wasn’t as accepted, and everything wasn’t as fluid. For us to be rocking out with the boys and girls said a lot.” (The new pairs feature the words baby and phat on the derriere pockets—just like the originals.)
To capture Baby Phat’s fresh, youthful spirit in the new collection, Simmons worked with her daughters Ming and Aoki on conceptualizing the designs. “They have their input of what’s cool and what’s hot,” says Simmons. “It’s a collaboration of everybody’s different inspirations, bodies, and styles, all rolled into one.” One thing they all agreed upon? Affordability. They wanted the pieces to be priced for anyone and everyone to wear. “We’ve [always] cared that you look good, feel great, and you didn t break the bank,” says Simmons. “Fashion should be inclusive—not exclusive.”
The brand’s return to the fashion scene, at a time where 2000s style is all the rage, is certainly harmonious timing—especially as other early-aughts brands like Juicy Couture also enjoy a resurgence. Simmons knew this going into it, and wanted to use the Y2K trend to her advantage. “I love it, because I was really entrenched in it,” she says. “We were really the architects of [Y2K style.]” It also felt right to re-launch it based on their fanbase alone. Even after the brand ceased producing clothes, a steady appetite for Baby Phat pieces on vintage or resale sites has lived on. It felt right for Simmons to finally create some new pieces for the die-hards. “I saw this girl on TikTok or Snapchat, and she had [Baby Phat’s] big dangly cat earrings,” says Simmons. “A couple of years back, Rihanna bought the whole archival collection. I’ve seen Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski wearing it. I was like, what?”
Still, despite the timeliness, rebounding during a trend is a risky move. While Y2K is hot now, it may very well be out next season. Simmons recognizes this too, but she is thinking about longevity this time around. “It just so happens to be the craze for ’90s and Y2K fashion now, but it doesn’t mean that that’s all there is [to the brand,]” says Simmons. “It’s ever-evolving. The silhouettes are giving a little bit of the old, and a little bit of the new. Our customer is sexy and modern.” She’s simply not worried about the label being a fad. “I definitely don’t feel like it s going away. We’re here to stay.”
