The iconic streetwear labels join forces for their first collaboration, bringing back crystal embellishments, low-slung jeans and unapologetic early-2000s glamour—with Kimora Lee leading the revival.
Two of the most recognizable names in early-2000s streetwear are joining forces to bring Y2K fashion back into the spotlight. True Religion and Baby Phat have unveiled their first-ever collaboration, celebrating the low-rise denim, sparkling embellishments and larger-than-life style that helped define a generation.
The launch took place Tuesday evening at the Silver Air hangar at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. Complete with a private jet, a runway presentation and performances by Yume and Justine Skye, the event was designed to capture the extravagant spirit of the era. Among the guests was actor Jaleel White, while the evening’s central figure was Baby Phat founder Kimora Lee, who welcomed guests aboard the aircraft.
Photo: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
“It was always about aspiration,” Lee said while sitting inside the private plane, surrounded by pieces from the collection. “If you can’t have that huge pink diamond … you can have those jeans.” Her oversized pink ring served as a fitting accessory for a designer whose approach to fashion has always embraced statement-making glamour.
A collection built for maximum impact
Understated fashion was never part of the Y2K streetwear formula, and this collaboration makes no attempt to change that. True Religion brings its recognizable horseshoe logo, bold contrast stitching and distinctive flap-pocket denim, while Baby Phat contributes crystal-covered sportswear, faux-fur details, satin and its signature feline branding.
The new collection stays faithful to those design identities. Every bottom features a low-rise waist, ranging from bootcut and relaxed baggy jeans to a micro skirt measuring just 10 inches. Shrunken baby tees, satin bomber jackets and crystal-heavy pieces complete the lineup.
The result is playful, heavily embellished and unapologetically nostalgic. It may occasionally feel like a deliberate recreation of the millennium era, but excess was always part of the appeal.
Kimora Lee’s lasting influence on streetwear
Lee introduced Baby Phat in 1999 as a women’s fashion extension of Phat Farm, the label founded by her then-husband, Russell Simmons. The brand quickly became a defining name in hip-hop fashion, dressing influential performers including Aaliyah, Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys.
True Religion developed its own cultural following, becoming a favorite in the rap community. Chief Keef even dedicated a song to the jeans, while 2 Chainz named a mixtape after the label.
Both brands owe much of their success to Black culture, which helped shape mainstream fashion even when the wider industry was slow to recognize its influence.
Lee brought a distinctive perspective to Baby Phat. Having modeled for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel as a teenager, she incorporated elements of Parisian fashion into hip-hop’s bold, expressive aesthetic. The combination helped expand the idea of what luxury could look like and whom it could represent.
“I am a Chanel girl, through and through,” Lee told Vogue. “And I brought that very much to Baby Phat all of my life.”
With Chanel receiving renewed attention under creative director Matthieu Blazy, Lee’s connection to the house feels particularly timely. In September, she also released Kimora Lee: On Her Own, a Lifetime documentary exploring her career, relationships and personal challenges.
Her return to Baby Phat has been just as significant. After reacquiring the company in 2019, Lee became one of the relatively few fashion founders to regain control of a brand after selling it.
“Normally, you don’t sell a brand and then come back,” she said. Her advice to entrepreneurs hoping to reclaim their work was direct: “If you made it once, you can make it again.”
True Religion’s commercial comeback
While Baby Phat’s return is closely tied to Lee’s personal journey, True Religion’s revival is increasingly reflected in its business performance.
After navigating two bankruptcies, the denim company expects to generate $550 million in sales this year, according to CEO Michael Buckley. It has set its sights on reaching $1 billion within five years. Its owners are also reportedly considering a sale or minority investment that could value the business at close to $1 billion.
The collaboration brings another recognizable symbol into the mix: Baby Phat’s beloved kitten logo, which Lee considers so important that she has it tattooed on her lower back.
Kristen D’Arcy, True Religion’s chief marketing officer, believes the company’s strongest days are happening now rather than existing only in its past.
“When people say to us, ‘Oh, back in the heyday of True Religion,’ well, the heyday is now,” she told Vogue. She added that the company is recording its highest sales and profitability to date.
True Religion has also worked to connect with younger shoppers through musicians, influencers and strategic collaborations. D’Arcy pointed to appearances by Megan Thee Stallion, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner and Alix Earle as examples of the brand’s continued cultural visibility. Early access to the Baby Phat collaboration had already produced strong sales through the company’s app.
A new generation discovers Y2K style
The revival raises an interesting question: Does a fashion trend need to be remembered to be appreciated?
For content creator and Love Island USA: Aftersun co-host Tefi Pessoa, the answer is simple. She praised True Religion for its famously flattering denim, joking that fashion has lost its appreciation for a good silhouette.
Pessoa also recalled the mall culture of the early 2000s, when Baby Phat, Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe and dELiA*s were familiar shopping destinations. She credited Lee with helping establish a fashion blueprint that later influenced brands such as Juicy Couture.
For younger consumers, however, the attraction is less about revisiting a personal memory and more about discovering an aesthetic for the first time.
The collaboration’s campaign features Love Island personalities Aniya Harvey and Kayda Bosse, drawing inspiration from MTV’s Making the Video. The concept revisits the behind-the-scenes music-video culture of an era that arrived before the two campaign stars were born.
Lee sees that generational exchange within her own family. Her daughters, Ming, 26, and Aoki, 24, have inherited pieces from her fashion archive, although their preferences differ. Ming leans toward classic dressing, while Aoki favors low-rise denim. Lee also recalled Rihanna asking her stylist to find vintage Baby Phat pieces, demonstrating the label’s continuing appeal.
Kimora Lee is still moving forward
At 51, Lee is no longer simply selling the fantasy of youth, glamour and wealth. Her story has become one of creative ownership, resilience and the determination to keep building after professional setbacks.
“I want my girls to see powerful women, beautiful women, women of all ages, who keep going and growing,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m done with anything.”
That sentiment may be the most compelling part of the True Religion and Baby Phat partnership. The private jet, pink diamonds and crystal-covered denim capture the extravagance of Y2K fashion, but Lee’s return to the brand she created offers a more enduring message: the power to reclaim your work, your identity and your future.
Low-rise jeans may be making another comeback, but Kimora Lee is not simply looking back. She is moving forward on her own terms.
