Baby Fashions is one of the most successful African Owned retailers in the United States. The Guru behind the Phat Brand is Russell Simmons, well known for hip hop and rap music and the founder of Def Jam Records. The brand was originally geared toward the male hip-hop artists and fans that wanted to imitate them, but later begin marketing clothes for women and children.

In 1992 Simmons started selling his Phat Farm design line at a shop in Manhattan and later teamed up with boutique owner Marc Bagutta. To become more successful Simmons realized that he had to make his clothes appeal to more then just the hip hop crowd, so he begin to market upscale clothes influenced by top designers of the industry. Throughout the 1990′s Simmons continued to restructure the business on many levels so he could compete with the top designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. In 1993, the women’s line was launched. Simmons married Kimora Lee in 1998, who was a former model and had a savvy eye for fashion. She took an active role in the business and used her fashion expertise to upgrade the clothing line and introduced jewelry, perfume, cosmetics, lingerie, handbags, cologne, makeup, among other items. She also included a line of eye-catching signature looks for the plus size woman.

Phat fashions was very successful under the leadership of Russell, however, Kimora incorporated her innovate and bold fashion concepts, and in only two years after re-launch, the business reached a new financial high in access of $30 million in annual sales. This brand is synonymous with people of all ages and sizes, and these designer clothes are sought after by super stars like Paula Abdul, Britney Spears, Lil’ Kim and Alicia Keys. These bold, playful and outgoing fashions is sold today in over 3,000 retail stores.

In the 21st century the style trends of the fashion industry dominate the world more than they ever did, and control not only the way people dress but also trends in homeware design, makeup fashion and people’s overall attitudes. Nowadays, fashion is bold and daring, and this reflects a noughties generation that is not afraid to say what they think, or wear what they want. Fashion is not just a means of clothing your body, it is the essence of your personality and beliefs, and designers are well aware of the power they hold. Designers’ predictions and designs for the coming season are more hotly anticipated than any other revelation in the world.

Trends in fashion unify women and men around the world, yet they still allow people the ability to portray their own individual style at the same time. A period of time portrayed in a picture can be identified immediately just by the style of clothes the people are wearing, and this sums up just how powerful and all-encompassing fashion is. Fashion can change from one second to the next, but what never changes is the hold it has over society, and the role it plays in the modern world. Fashion is so important that whole magazines are dedicated to it, TV programmes dedicate hours of transmission time to the subject, and people discus it between their friends continually.

For the extremely wealthy, they might have their own personal relationship with a designer who will keep them well ahead of the current trends, therefore, many people wanting to know what the new fashion lines are going to be will watch what celebrities are wearing. Being ahead of fashion is for many, the ultimate achievement, although being too ahead of the fashion is just as bad as being behind it! If you are too far ahead people will think what you are wearing is not in fashion, because it isn’t, yet. Designers continue to market the importance they know people put on fashion, and people continue to hang on to designers’ every move in the fashion world, therefore as long as this carries on fashion will continue to maintain its dominant position in society for a very long time to come. It influences not only what we wear, but everything we do, say, and even think.