| Net Worth | $50,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kimora Lee Leissner (née Perkins, formerly Simmons) |
| Date of Birth/Age | May 4, 1975 (age 44) |
| Height | 6’0” |
| Source of wealth | Fashion Model, Fashion Designer |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| State/City of origin | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Last Updated | 2019 |
Net Worth
Kimora Lee Simmons net worth is 50 million dollars.
– How Much Does Kimora Lee Simmons Make a Year?
Kimora Lee Simmons makes about $10 million each year. Her social media channels have helped boost her popularity and she has a successful clothing line that keeps the money rolling in.
– How does Kimora Lee Simmons make her money?
Kimora made hundreds of thousands of dollars from her modeling career. She made millions as the creative director for Baby Phat and JustFab.
She’s also made millions of dollars from her clothing lines and hundreds of thousands of dollars modeling on her social media channels.
Arguably, Kimora’s made money from her marriages. Both of the men she’s been married to were well-established millionaires before she ever met them, and they certainly provided for her.
View this post on Instagram
Introduction
Kimora Lee Simmons gained fame in the early 2000s, as her marriage to hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was highlighted on their own reality television show. Prior to her meeting her then-husband, Simmons had a successful career as a model. She’s best known for being the face and brains behind the Baby Phat clothing line.
Kimora’s a woman with many loves, and she’s had many partners as well. Kimora has children with three different men, all of whom were either famous or very wealthy. She grew up poor and wanted to make a success out of her life. She certainly did with her career, but her marriages alone ensure that she will never be poor.
Early Life
We know her as Kimora Lee Simmons, but on May 4, 1975, a little girl named Kimora Lee Perkins in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Joanne Kyoko Perkins, is both Korean and Japanese.
She married an African American man, Vernon Whitlock Jr., who was a federal marshal turned barber and is Kimora’s father.
He was sentenced to prison when Kimora was in grade school, leaving Kimora to be raised solely by her mother.
Kimora was bullied when she was in school because she was so tall. When she was 10, she was already 5’10’’ and also was teased for being mixed race. To give her confidence, her mom enrolled her in modeling classes.
She was discovered by an agent when she was thirteen and sent to Paris. She still made time to graduate from Lutheran North High School in St. Louis.
View this post on Instagram
Personal life
Kimora first met rap mogul Russell Simmons during New York City Fashion Week in 1992. She hadn’t even graduated from high school yet and Russell was a 35-year-old player.
Because of the huge age difference, the two dated for six years before getting married in 1998. They have two daughters, Ming Lee Simmons, and Aoki Lee Simmons.
Sadly, their marriage dissolved in 2006, leading to a separation. The couple eventually divorced in March 2008.
As their marriage was ending, both Kimora and Russell started dating other people. In March 2007, Kimora confirmed that she was dating model Djimon Hounsou.
View this post on Instagram
They held a commitment ceremony in May of 2008 and Kimora gave birth to their son Kenzo Lee Hounsou in May 2009. The couple broke up in 2012, however it wasn’t divorced because they were never officially married.
Kimora married former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner in February 2014. Her husband was barred from the U.S. securities industry for participating in an illegal scheme with Malaysians. In 2015, the couple had a child, Wolfe Lee Leissner.
View this post on Instagram
Career
Kimora’s modeling career began when she was just 14 years old. She earned an exclusive modeling contract with Chanel and was trained by designer Karl Lagerfeld, closing his show in 1989. She then started working with top designers like Fendi and Yves Saint Laurent.
Kimora helped her then-husband Russell Simmons build up his Baby Phat brand. By 2007, she worked herself up to creative director of the brand.
When Simmons sold the brand to another company, they promoted her to the president and creative director of Phat Fashions.
She also started her own clothing line called KLS in 2007. In 2010, she left the company and gave no reason. Many speculate that it had to do with her giving herself too large of a salary.
By 2011, Kimora announced that she was the new president and creative director for “JustFab,” an online clothing and shoe subscription service.
She held the position for four years, all while working on her KLS and Kouture by Kimora clothing lines.
She eventually left JustFab to focus solely on her clothing lines. Her upscale Kouture by Kimora line is sold exclusively at Bloomingdales and the more affordable KLS brand is available at Macy’s.
View this post on Instagram
Interesting Facts
- Kimora was arrested in 2004 and charged with reckless driving. She was pulled over for broken tail light and didn’t stop, leading to a two-mile police chase. When police caught up with her, they found marijuana in her car.
- In August of 2005, Kimora pleaded guilty to reckless driving and received a sentence of six months’ probation.
- She has children with three different men.
- At just 14 years old, Kimora was awarded an exclusive modeling contract with Chanel.
- Kimora wrote a self-help book called “Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It.”
- When Russell Simmons sold the Baby Phat brand, Kimora stayed on with the new owners. However, after a few years, she was let go for undisclosed reasons.
View this post on Instagram
Highlights
- Kimora was bullied as a child, so her parents got her into modeling to boost her self-confidence.
- She was sent to Paris to model when she was discovered at just 13 years old.
- She met Russell Simmons and after they were married, she joined forces with his Baby Phat clothing line.
- Kimora stayed on with the clothing line as president and creative director, even after it was sold to another company.
- After parting ways with Baby Phat, Kimora joined forces with JustFab as their president and creative director.
- She also was still working on her clothing lines. KLS provides affordable pieces to Macy’s shoppers and Kouture by Kimora is filled with higher-end pieces to shoppers at Bloomingdales.
View this post on Instagram
Favorite Quotes from Kimora Lee Simmons
“Life is a series of adjustments; You can make changes along the way, but if you didn’t start moving forward you’ll never get anywhere!”
“Find satisfaction in yourself first before you even start seeking it from anyone else.”
“The greasier, the better…”
“You can do anything you put your mind to, and you can do it in stilettos.”
Anything a guy can do a girl can do better…except being stupid.”“I think one great tip is that you should always love yourself. If you don’t love yourself, take care of yourself, cater to yourself and that little inner voice, you will really not be very worthy of being with someone else, because you won’t be the best version of you.”
“It’s not about how skinny you are or how much money or how many diamonds you have – that’s the fluff that people sometimes look at as being the main thing. It’s about understanding that the things that make you fabulous are all inside of you.”
“I don’t apologize for my diamonds, Rolls-Royce, Range Rover, or anything. Look, Queen Elizabeth has more diamonds than me. Why don’t people attack her for it?”
Tips for success from Kimora Lee Simmons
- You don’t have to dumb down – you just have to find a clever, good, secure man. I’ve found a couple – I’ve been lucky – but it’s probably hard for everybody to find that true love of a good man.
- Even if you can’t afford to travel the world, you can take your children to the museum, zoo or local park. And don’t be afraid to take them to grown-up spots. Eating out in a restaurant teaches children how to be quiet and polite and gives them the pleasure of knowing you trust them to behave.
- When you have a lot, you should be giving a lot to those around you. Those who are given money and success and fame have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders to give back to the community. You need to do this with your children as well. Children who have been given so much need to experience the joy that comes from giving.
