Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons is an American model, fashion designer and entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Baby Phat brand. Simmons was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where began modeling at a young age. She attended Lutheran North High School before being discovered by Karl Lagerfeld, who invited her to work with Chanel at age 13, launching her modeling career.

Simmons rose to prominence in the fashion world as a teenage model, walking runways for major designers and appearing in global campaigns for brands like Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. Her high-profile relationship with music mogul Russell Simmons in the late ’90s and early 2000s further elevated her public profile, making her a central figure in the fashion and entertainment industries.

Simmons later transitioned into business, founding the clothing line Baby Phat in 1999 and expanding it into a widely recognized lifestyle brand. She also starred in the reality series Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane from 2007 to 2011, which documented her career and family life. She later appeared in Kimora: House of Fab and, in 2025, she began starring in Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane.

Kimora married Russell in 1998, and the pair share two daughters: Ming Lee Simmons (born in 2000) and Aoki Lee Simmons (born in 2002). After their split, she was in a relationship with actor Djimon Hounsou, with whom she shares son Kenzo Lee Hounsou (born in 2009). She later married banker Tim Leissner in 2014, and they welcomed son Wolfe Lee Leissner (born in 2015). In 2020, she adopted son Gary (born in 2009). She was confirmed to be estranged from Leissner in 2022.