Fashion maven, Kimora Lee Simmons recently sat down with Chris Witherspoon of NBC’s The Grio to discuss her upcoming reality show “Kimora: House of Fab“, which is a spin-off from her original reality show “Kimora: Life In the Fab Lane”. The show will go behind the scenes of the JustFab offices, which is Kimora’s fashion retail site. When questioned by Chris as to whether or not she felt the fashion industry was too saturated with celebrities with fashion brands, Kimora gave a quite interesting response.

“There’s always room for more because times evolve and people change and we [Me and Russell]  did kind of create that. Before us there wasn’t any Beyoncé, there wasn’t Sean John or Justin Timberlake, there wasn’t Jessica Simpson. There wasn’t any of that. We really laid the blueprint for that,” Kimora told Chris Witherspoon.

She also expressed how much she loves that the success of her business is not tied to a hit album or a blockbuster film:

“One thing I love about myself is this business is that I don’t have to rely on the sales of an album, or my movie being a hit for my clothing to be a hit.”

Some are interpreting her comments as low-key shade, but I’m not really sure if her statements were really intended to be undercutting. Now, if you guys want shade, check out her response when asked how she, Djimon and Russell successfully co-parent while maintaining a drama-free blended family.

“I do things for the sake of my children. I know people say that like it’s a cliché, but when you see their life, it’s not for the sake of their children. They’re fighting or I don’t know what, it’s the holidays and someone hits someone else . No, we’re not doing all of that… My kids are very happy, and if you ask them, they don’t have one dad that loves them, they have two.”

Well, alright then.

Check out footage of Kimora’s interview on the next page. Did you peep the Halle shade that got slipped in there?

Photo courtesy of WENN

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“Life is a series of adjustments; you can make changes along the way, but if you don’t start moving forward you’ll never get anywhere!” – Kimora Lee Simmons

Life is all about learning lessons. It’s what we do with those lessons that shape our being, attitudes and behaviors. Kimora couldn’t have said it better – “Life is a series of adjustments…” If we don’t embrace change, we will never move forward in life or realize our true potential.

Move forward and have an amazing day!

by Cynthia Wright

Kimora Lee Simmons has brought her love of the color pink and “fabulosity” to Manhattan Beach-based online accessories retailer JustFab.com. Simmons joined the online business as its new President and Creative Director. Late last week, it was also announced that the fashion-forward site secured $33 million in funding led by Matrix Partners with a co-investment from Technology Crossover Ventures.

Simmons, who also participated in the funding of the website is looking forward to the online retail move. With a Twitter following that she acquired through her work at Baby Phat and her TV show “Life in the Fab Lane,” she is no stranger when it comes to working the media to her benefit. To Simmons, this is venture is more about evolution; “I want to bring the fashion lifestyle aspect to everyone. … I’m on a journey with all these other women. We’re not teeny-boppers in the club anymore. This is the next element, and it’s more evolved.”

One look at the site and you understand exactly what she means. Now, there are several images of Simmons modeling off various shoes that can be purchased on the site. However, that is not the only trick she has up her designer sleeves. Recently, Simmons held a shoe-launch party for the fashion site. The bash was held in West Hollywood, where guests sipped on signature cocktails, while viewing the newest shoe and jewelry collections. For Simmons, this is just the beginning. “Photo shoots and runway shows—that will probably go on to be the same,” she told the LA Times. While, her current business operates solely in a digital environment, she plans to still be involved in all aspects of the sites production.

“Just because you’re viral, that doesn’t have to go away. I love to pick the models and be involved in the production, that’s part of my fashion brand and fashion legacy. I was the first person to broadcast [a fashion show] in Times Square,” she commented.

Justfab.com, is a members-only website that began in March 2010 and quickly racked up over 2.5 million members. The site offers its participants an accessory a month for $39.95. While the price would make any bargain hunter smile with excitement, the same could be said for any fashionista that stumbled upon the site. The shoes range from classic to eccentric, while the handbags seem to take inspiration from current trends. Along with that, Simmons is also adding a jewelry line that she designed herself, which is set to debut October 1st.

Members are matched to accessories by filling out an online personality quiz, which is then curated by a team of style experts led by celebrity stylist Jessica Paster. Another addition to the site is the ability for customers to skip months or buy additional items with their main purchase. However, what they offer in personalization and care is unmatched. Not only do customers receive a customized shoes and handbag boutique, they receive styling and outfit recommendations to complete their look from head to toe.

At under $40 and with Simmons at the helm, Just Fabulous just may be a force to be reckoned with.

Cynthia Wright is an avid lover of all things geeky. When she isn’t freelancing, she can be found on her blog BGA Life and on Twitter at @cynisright.

By Barbara Thau

Polo Ralph Lauren, anchored by its tony, classic-Americana aesthetic, and Louis Vuitton, marked by an unapologetically status-driven image with a touch of bling, are two disparate brands that have held consistent sway with the African American audience.

By contrast, Mark Ecko, the street wear and apparel line, as well as fashion brand Baby Phat, have lost their footing with the Black audience. So why have these two sets of fashion brands garnered different marketing results with African Americans, who, according to Diversity Affluence—a firm that helps brands market to the affluent ethnic audience—hold more than $100 billion in purchasing power?

While there are no easy answers, Polo Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton share a clearly defined style identity, a patina of authenticity and a timeless quality, brand experts say. By contrast, Mark Ecko and Baby Phat have lost their bite, and in some ways, have not evolved with their audience.“Both Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren have done an excellent job creating authentic, long-standing images that attract both high income and aspirational shoppers,” said Wendy Liebmann, chief executive officer and chief shopper of WSL Strategic Retail, a marketing consulting firm that works with manufacturers and retailers. “And I think that works for African American shoppers who are very interested in designer fashion.”

While Mark Ecko and Baby Phat would be defined as urban brands, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren would not—but that doesn’t mean the latter two don’t appeal to a sophisticated, urban audience. Indeed, part of what defines an urban aesthetic is rooted in the richness of African American culture, said Amy Shea, executive vice president and director of brand development for Brand Keys, the brand consultancy. And while it might not seem so on the surface, that sensibility has something in common with luxury fashion brands. African American culture—which is really synonymous with urban culture— has “pushed the boundaries,” Shea said. “If you look at what urban culture really means, it stands for who exists on the edge of fashion, art and music. It’s about pushing against what’s happening now” to usher in the new—“and that’s what couture and luxury brands are all about,” she said.

By Brittany Hutson

Nowadays, when music artists get the itch to step away from the industry and dive into the world of entrepreneurship, it’s pretty much no surprise that their first venture is a clothing line. But according to Kristin Bentz, retail analyst and president of Talented Blonde, LLC, “the era of the celeb-designer is close to being over, if not already. When the recession hit, so many rappers/actors/personalities rushed to get licensing deals. So now we are overrun at retail with the remnants of rappers past.”

We collaborated with Bentz to critique some of hip-hop’s hottest lines that are still memorable today, not only for their sales, but also for their massive appeal to consumers and demonstrated business savvy on the part of the artist; as well as some of hip-hop’s less memorable brands due to high pricing points, an absence of solid promotion and mismanagement.

Here are Bentz’s picks for fashion lines that have been leaders in the artist-designer arena:

Phat Farm

Russell Simmons was undoubtedly the pioneer of the celeb-designer phenomenon with the launch of Phat Farm in 1992, which combined the urban aesthetics of the streets and the preppy culture of the Ivy League for men. Successful lines such as Phat Farm are “established by tier one rapper/artists that truly have the star power and financial backing to hire superior management teams and designers, as well as [finance] multi-million dollar ad campaigns,” says Bentz. Another example the demonstrates Simmons’ business savvy and why the brand has lasted for nearly two decades was his decision to sell Phat Farm to the Kellwood Company in 2004 for $140 million. “Brands are sold to large publicly-held companies that know how to merchandise, manage and promote a brand much better than the celebs who own the company are able to.”

(Brand Maker News) — Recent news about Kimora Lee Simmon’s breakup from the Baby Phat brand she built, came as a shock to many. While several articles questioned the fate of Baby Phat, we found it more interesting to explore the fate of its founder and chief brand ambassador, Kimora Lee Simmons.

In assessing Kimora’s brand, it became clear that she started preparing for this breakup years ago. Not that she expected it to go down the way it did, and not that she wanted the breakup to happen at all. But, she was prepared for the worst case scenario that ultimately became her reality.

by R. Asmerom

What is Baby Phat without its spokesmodel Kimora Lee Simmons? Kellwood Co., the parent company to the urban fashion line, is apparently optimistic about that answer. Ever since the epitome of ostentatious celebrity indulgence announced that she would be leaving Baby Phat to focus on other endeavors, news has been circulating that Kellwood Co. actually fired Lee Simmons, although that has yet to be officially confirmed by reps.

Even though Baby Phat represents one of the first urban female centered lines to hit it big after debuting in 1998, it has not been immune to the wear and tear that accompany the life cycles of many popular labels.

“The brand has performed consistently well for the last few years, but in my opinion is getting a little “long in the tooth,” said Kristin Bentz, a retail industry veteran who writes about consumer retail stocks. “Like Juicy Couture, it tapped in to a certain demographic at a key moment in time and capitalized on that, but when recession rears its ugly head that target consumer gets stretched, and the brand undergoes stress. Brands like Juicy and Baby Phat that are fun and frivolous, but not classic luxury brands, are great– until the tide turns.”

Lee Simmons spun off BabyPhat from then husband’s Phat Farm line and quickly began to make a name for herself outside of being a former model married to a media mogul.

In 2004, Kellwood Co. bought Phat Fashions from the Simmons for about $140 million, retaining Lee Simmons as its creative director. It wasn’t clear how much Lee Simmons continued to influence the fashion direction of the company since then but it was always clear how much of a role she played in the company’s promotional campaigns. She and her two daughters appeared in many of the advertisements and many speculate that it may have been her expensive shoots and fees to herself amidst budget concerns that led Kellwood to cut her off.

“Whenever you have these celeb-designer creative directors, appeasing them and their lifestyle is fine while the money is rolling in,” said Bentz. “But these are desperate times at retail, and company managements have to answer to every dime spent. So, it’s no surprise to me that Kellwood allegedly sent her Jimmy Choo’s walking. This is not new–Versace went through this, Valentino had huge issues with this with Permira. Its just the nature of creative leaders–they like excess. And unfortunately we are now in the salad days of retail.”

Kellwood was in the news for being in some financial trouble last year. Then, the company, which is a major supplier to department stores, was thought to be on the brink of bankruptcy as sales slumped amidst weak consumer confidence during the recession.

“Kellwood did have some “nail-biting” moments financially about a year ago until it worked out terms on an $140 million exchange of its notes with Deutsche Bank and other bondholders”  said Bentz, adding that the company has been getting more aggressive with key acquisitions as of late. “Typically its a positive sign when a company begins acquiring new brands, and Kellwood seems to be holding its own in an extremely Darwinian time in retail. With discounts the rule of the day, middle market brands are getting killed trying to compete as more aspirational brands lower prices to remain competitive.”

With Kellwood CEO Michael Kramer actually looking to “double [the company's] size in the next 6 to 9 months” it’s not clear whether Lee Simmons removal was a cost cutting measure or one involving creative concerns. While independent financial figures couldn’t be found for Baby Phat specifically, Kellwood was estimated to have generated $800 million in sales last year according to The Wall Street Journal. Whatever the case, Lee Simmons won’t be falling on hard times as she has several other ventures, including a reality series, apparel lines and a line of fragrances, to prop her up.

By Marc Malkin of E! Online

Kimora Lee Simmons is shedding her Baby Phat!

I can exclusively reveal that my Style Network reality star pal is moving on from Baby Phat and Phat Fashions, the fashion house she launched 14 years ago…

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