| NET WORTH: | $190 Million |
|---|---|
| Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur, Author, Model, Television personality, Fashion designer |
| Born: | May 4, 1975 |
| Age: | 45 |
| Spouse: | Tim Leissner |
| Children: | 5 |
| Birth Name: | Kimora Lee Perkins |
| Height: | 6ft. 0 in.(1.83m) |
Kimora Lee Simmons is an American entrepreneur, author, model, television personality, and fashion designer, who is well known for marrying then-husband hip-hop entrepreneur Russel Simmons.
Early Life
Kimora Lee Perkins was born on May 4, 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born of African-American and Japanese heritage, and grew up in the northern St. Louis suburb of Florissant, Missouri. When she was at the age of 10, she was almost 6 feet tall and was teased because of it. Her mother enrolled her to a modeling class to help her boost her confidence of her height.
Career
Simmons signed a modeling contract with Channel at the age of 13, under the tutelage of Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld. In 1989, she gained attention in the fashion world when she closed Lagerfeld's haute couture show as the "bride".
Simmons also modeled for several fashion brands and fashion designers like Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior, Valentino, Fendi, Kenzo, Anna Sui, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.
In 1998, then-husband, Russel Simmons, was at the helm of "Phat Farm", which is a brand of an urban menswear. Simmons then created "Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons", a parallel women's brand under the umbrella of "Phat Fashions".
Later on, Simmons was appointed as the president and creative director of the brand "Baby Phat". In 2004, Kellwood Company bought Phat Fashions for $140 million. Simmons stayed as President and Creative Director for a while, and on 2010, she exit as President but retained her ownership of all licensing rights for her fragrance and cosmetics collection.
In 2005, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons made a collaboration with Coty Inc. to start its first ever fragrance "Baby Phat Goddess". Simmons also created Simmons Jewelry Company in order to market jewelry items under Phat Farm and Baby Phat labels. In 2006, she partnered with Hello Kitty to launch "Kimora Lee Simmons for Hello Kitty" in Neiman Marcus.
Simmons launched KLS fashion collection in 2010. In the following year, he launched her own anti-aging skincare line, with the Swiss skincare company Makari de Suisse, and with the target towards multi-ethnic women. She entered the luxury market by launching her women's designer line KIMORA LEE SIMMONS, featuring Italian fabrics and some handmade embellishments.
Television career
Simmons first television hosting was the 1998 television series "One World Music Beat". Later in 2004, she hosted the syndicated talk show "Life and Style". She also hosted other shows like her E! show "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane", and the "Kimora: House of Fab" in 2013.
She also produced the show "Def Poetry Jam", and won the Tony Award for a Special Theatrical Event in year 2003.
Since the year 2009, Simmons hosted the annual red carpet gala celebration in supporting Hetrick-Martin and its tribute to gay rights activist.
Personal Life
Simmons married his first husband, Russell Simmons, on December 1998. The two have two daughters: Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons. Reportedly, the two got separated in the year 2006, and their divorced got finalized in 2009.
In 2008, Simmons dated actor and former model, Dijmon Hounsou. Together, they have a son, and eventually broke up in 2012. In 2014, she confirmed that she had married Tim Leissner. Leissner was a former Goldman Sachs banker convicted for his involvement in the 1MDB scandal. Simmons gave birth to his son named Wolfe Lee Leissner, and later on the two decided to adopt a 10 year old boy.
Net Worth
With all of Simmons other ventures, she have earned an estimated net worth of $190 million as of today, 2021.
