Quarantine has not been a time for rest and relaxation for entrepreneur and busy mom Kimora Lee Simmons.
The mother of five is lockdown with her children while still running her successful businesses from home and working to help those most impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
Simmons sat down exclusively to talk about how she recently helped donate nearly 400,000 meals to the needy and the 2019 re-launch of her iconic streetwear brand, Baby Phat.
Working from home: Kimora Lee Simmons sat down exclusively to talk about how she helped donate nearly 400,000 meals to the needy and the 2019 re-launch of her iconic streetwear brand, Baby Phat
The 44-year-old business mogul has been working with Freedom Shield to help provide families with much needed food during the current crisis, as well as necessities like PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers.
‘Freedom Shield is an organization I’ve worked with for quite some time which helps disenfranchised and abused young women and children,’ Kimora explained.
‘They focus heavily on child trafficking and bringing an end to that and awareness education, rescuing lots of girls from all over the world from horrible circumstances.’
These days, the group has expanded their focus to feeding the homeless and those in need, particularly children – a group that is close to Kimora’s heart.
Doing her part: The 44-year-old business mogul has been working with Freedom Shield to help provide families with much needed food during the current crisis, as well as necessities like PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers
‘There’s a ton of kids that are home now that would normally be in school, there are programs that they relied upon that are not available to them, so I think it’s about giving resources back to the community wherever that’s needed’
‘There’s a ton of kids that are home now that would normally be in school, there are programs that they relied upon that are not available to them, so I think it’s about giving resources back to the community wherever that’s needed,’ she explained.
‘Through the Freedom Shield Foundation we’ve given close to 400,000 meals to those in need,’ Kimora continued.
During this unprecedented crisis, the model said she’s thinking about how she can work with the community to give back.
She recently slashed prices across the board of her Baby Phat fashion label, which is being run remotely, to help the company ‘weather the storm.’ A portion of the proceeds from sales is going to the Freedom Shield Foundation.
Working together: Kimora recently slashed prices across the board of her Baby Phat fashion label to help the company ‘weather the storm’ and a portion of the proceeds from sales is going to the Freedom Shield Foundation (Pictured Kimora’s daughter Ming)
All in the family: Last year, Kimora re-vamped her iconic brand with the help of her two eldest children, 20-year-old daughter, Ming, and 17-year-old daughter, Aoki (pictured) who were both raised in the business as children
Last year, Kimora re-vamped her iconic brand with the help of her two eldest children, 20-year-old daughter, Ming, and 17-year-old daughter, Aoki.
On International Women’s Day 2019, Kimora quietly announced that she had reacquired her brand while delivering the keynote address at the launch of the She Innovates initiative. She had left the brand in 2010 after it had been sold, first to the Kellwood Company in 2004 and then to Sun Capital Partners.
When she re-launched the label, it seemed like a natural fit to have Ming and Aoki work alongside her as they had been raised in the business as children.
‘I’ve been pregnant on the runway to make my final bow,’ Kimora reflected. ‘They’ve come up with with me through fittings and dress rehearsals and runway shows.’
‘I’ve been pregnant on the runway to make my final bow,’ Kimora reflected. ‘They’ve come up with with me through fittings and dress rehearsals and runway shows. I mean the kids have been there through grand productions honey. Grand! And, so it’s in their soul that they’re like little fashionistas.’
She added: ‘I mean the kids have been there through grand productions honey. Grand! And, so it’s in their soul that they’re like little fashionistas.’
Ming, who is attending college at NYU and Aoki, who is a freshman at Harvard, not only help direct their mom to what is ‘cool’ but they also model for the brand.
‘They’re going to school and they can really give you input and tell you what’s going on,’ Kimora said. ‘Everything’s online, everything is about that data, media, phone, computer, like keeping in touch. And I think in this day and age, that’s what’s really big.
‘You have the generational play, which is me and the girls, but also to be able to like tell you, “Mom that’s cool, or no that’s not.”‘
GRAB ‘They’re going to school and they can really give you input and tell you what’s going on,’ Kimora said. ‘Everything’s online, everything is about that data, media, phone, computer, like keeping in touch. And I think in this day and age, that’s what’s really big.’
‘I do rely heavily on their input, but like, mama’s a G and has cultivated you in coming up in this game,’ Kimora quipped. ‘I’m an old G, you’re a baby G. It always goes back to us with the music, everything – the clothes, the fits, the color the style, the bucket hat. Everything.’
The former catwalker laughed, though, when she revealed that what is, in fact, on trend these days were from her heyday in the late 90s and early 2000s.
‘I do rely heavily on their input, but like, mama’s a G and has cultivated you in coming up in this game,’ Kimora quipped. ‘I’m an old G, you’re a baby G.’
‘It always goes back to us with the music, everything – the clothes, the fits, the color the style, the bucket hat. Everything.’
Meanwhile, Kimora is running her business from home with a house full of children. Before she was able to join DailyMailTV, she joked that she had to usher everyone out of the room for some piece and quiet.
‘I’m at home with the kids and it’s totally crazy,’ she revealed. ‘I just had to yell at everybody to get out! We’re all going stir-crazy so I had to fight them to get out.’ (Pictured with sons Kenzo, Gary and Wolfe)
‘I’m at home with the kids and it’s totally crazy,’ she revealed. ‘I just had to yell at everybody to get out!’
‘We’re all going stir-crazy so I had to fight them to get out,’ Kimora added with a laugh.
Kimora is mom to daughters, Ming and Aoki Lee Simmons from her marriage to Russel Simmons, 10-year-old son Kenzo from her relationship with Dijmon Hounsou and sons Wolfe, five, and Gary, 10, (adopted) with husband Tim Leissner.
Trying to find calm: Kimora recommends everyone try to find what works for them in their own circumstances to find some peace in this unprecedented time; she has been using her own CBD salve and bath bombs
To unwind, Kimora has been using her own CBD salve from her Beverly Hills based Korean spa, Pellequr, which is closed due to the pandemic.
‘It’s a CBD salve and I also have bath bombs and I put them in the tub,’ she explained.
Kimora recommends everyone try to find what works for them in their own circumstances to find some peace in this unprecedented time.
‘If you could have a little bit of moment to meditate, or to pray or to just re-balance yourself,’ she suggested. ‘You could do dinner with everybody around the kitchen table.’
‘If you could have a little bit of moment to meditate, or to pray or to just re-balance yourself,’ she suggested. ‘You could do dinner with everybody around the kitchen table.’ (Pictured in 2019)