It’s the understatement of the decade to say that the fab lane Kimora Lee Simmons struts down, is a also a busy one – celebrated fashion model and mogul, star of the number one rated reality television series in Malaysia, Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane as well as the creator of an upcoming anti-aging skincare line, Shinto Clinical and a new shopping destination, JustFab.com, But she does it all with much aplomb and grace, a “high heel warrior”, sharing that her choice of footwear down this lane is always a stiletto heel.
Simmons was recently in Malaysia to promote the latest series of her show, but fielding questions from home decor, to skincare and being a tiger mum, the scheduled press conference went from 20 minutes to an hour as the lady graciously answered everybody’s question. I may have gone in a skeptic – how can someone be that successful, honest, and great at the same time, must be the editing! – but come out flying the flag of Team Fabulosity. Here is why.
#1. She is loud and proud about her Asian roots.
“I always want people to know that by looking at me, I’m multi-ethnic, multi-Asian – that’s going to be a word now – and that’s the whole concept of fabulosity – to be beautiful inside out and outside in. When I started working at 12 for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, he said that, “This girl has the face of the future”. And to this day, 20 years something ago, he’s right. Everyone wants to be a little something mixed or exotic these days.”
#2. She uses her fame for good!
“I grew up in the States in a little city in the middle of the country, St Louis, Missouri, and no one looked like you or me. All the kids were either black or white. But certainly to be mixed like me, part American and part Asian, I was like garbage. Kids are very cruel in school. Everyone here I’m sure has similar stories. I used that to make myself stronger and better, I kinda gave myself a thicker skin and so I like to take what I have – that’s the one good thing about having a little bit of fame or being a celebrity - is that you have a platform and you can give a message. So I choose in my life to perpetuate this message of positivity and beauty of all colours and races and ethnic backgrounds and that’s the beauty of it.”
#3. She believes in you, and think that you should too.
“I just want everyone to know that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and I have 3 kids, so I’ve been super fat and I’ve been super skinny as a model and I go up and down. I want women to feel real and beautiful from the inside out and to feel comfortable from the inside out and feel accepted. You won’t always find acceptance in the world so you have to have it first within yourself so that you can sleep well at night.”
#4. She thinks that reality TV is garbage.
“I really think that the state of reality TV is just going down the tubes. And I’m not proud of it. I’m not proud of how women are depicted and I’m not proud of turning on TV where you’re fighting and scratching and cursing at your mum and you’re naked. I’m not proud. My show is none of that. And we’re the number one show. So it shows that you can be number one and have a little dignity and a little respect. And you don’t have to be naked.”
#5. She champions women empowerment and have plans to create a talk show.
“I started this type of genre, a docu-drama [with Life in the Fab Lane], for me it was about documenting my life, and it turned into a crazy thing called reality, which to me, is so obscene at times. So I’m shifting from that and I want to go closer to something closer to my heart, which is empowerment and speaking and talking to people and connecting our lives. That’s the thing about the new show – it’s about authenticity, about being real and not being overly fabricated on TV or in person.”
#6. She wants you to know that fashion and style is not dependent on how you spend.
“I don’t think that fashion and great style have anything to do with how much money that you spend. There was a time, when the people at Louis Vuitton told me I was probably their number one customer in the world. But I did that many many years ago when I was younger, and I even think I was a little depressed and sad and finding my way. And I thought that buying every great thing would make me feel pretty. But it didn’t and you are who you are. Great style and great fashion have nothing to do with how much you spend. If you’re really wealthy and you can do that, great, I’m not knocking it, but if you don’t have so much money, and you’re working hard everyday and you’re supporting lots of kids, you don’t have to sacrifice great style.
#7. Her kids always come first.
“I splurge on my children and family. I have 3 kids and I always splurge on them. Education is really expensive, they go to school, they wear uniforms but they want the right sneakers… I have to pay for tutors too. I love my kids, they’re totally crazy. But they make my life. When you have a family, it’s really about a bigger responsibility. So I think that kids teaches you that it’s not about you. I wouldn’t be much without my kids.”
#8. Just like a regular person, she has her flaws too.
“I eat a Twix candy bar every night before I go to bed. I think I tweeted that. I don’t know what happened, but when I got here last night, there was 10 of them by my bed. I’m kind of a candy junkie. I’m realizing I’m a bit of a tiger mum – but that’s not a secret, you know that from TV. If they’re acting up, they have to sit down and get it together. I’m an insomniac, that’s cause I have so much going on in my brain. I hate working out. I love eating bread.”
#9. Success for her didn’t come easy.
“You do have to sacrifice a lot for what you want. Like, you have to sacrifice sleep. I never sleep, and if you see on Twitter, I’m up all hours of the day. I’m a businesswoman, I have 3 children and 2 husbands – I always say I have an ex and a next – so it’s a lot to juggle. So you do have to sacrifice some things and really put your head down and do the work and follow your dreams. For some people, sometimes following your dreams mean you’re doing one job at a day and another a night, because the job at night is really your dream, but the job in the day is paying the bills, so it’s a lot of sacrifice but you can have it all. I do think there is a balance but it takes a lot of dedication and hard work and luck and help and surround yourself with smart people.”
#10. Her parting message:
“No one is perfect, embrace whatever it is. I’m 6 feet tall, 6’5’’ in my heels, you wouldn’t believe how much I weigh. It just looks a little difference because it’s all so long. Love what you have. If you don’t love what you have, fix it, but love what you have. You can’t expect someone else to love you if you don’t love yourself. So be proud and be happy and strut your stuff, no matter what and if there’s something, improve upon it. You can do that, only you.”
For more on Kimora Lee Simmons, check out her official website and follow her on Twitter at @OfficialKimora.
All images by Didi Ramlan
