All About Kimora Lee Simmons’ Lookalike Daughter Ming Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons and her daughter Ming Lee share more in common than looks.

Ming Lee, 24, is following in her mother’s footsteps and building a career in modeling and fashion. She grew up alongside Kim’s fashion empire, Baby Phat, and became even more involved after the model-turned-businesswoman bought the brand and its entities in 2019 after first selling them in 2010.

“It’s about creating that legacy,” Kimora previously told PEOPLE. “I want to [them] understand the legacy of the business for which it was created [them]. It’s been over 20 years of driving and I want them to understand that.”

Ming Lee works both behind the scenes and in front of the camera for his famous mom’s company. She began starring in campaigns for the Baby Phat and Forever 21 collections in 2019 while helping to revitalize the brand and expand its reach into cosmetics in 2020.

“It’s going to sound like a cliché, but my mom really keeps me grounded,” she told Hypebae Beauty in June 2023. “She’s always instilled in all of us the value of a dollar, and she’s done an amazing job of supporting us while also doing her best to become aware of our privilege.”

Here’s everything there is to know about Kimora Lee Simmons’ daughter, Ming Lee, including her passion for fashion and her sweet relationship with her mom.

She was born in January 2000

Kimora Lee Simmons with daughter Ming in 2000.

Evan Agostini/ImageDirect

Kimora and her ex-husband Russell Simmons welcomed their first child on January 21, 2000, about two years after they tied the knot in the Caribbean. The couple later welcomed a second daughter, Aoki Lee, on August 16, 2002.

She is a model

Ming Lee Simmons at the Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show. in Paris.

Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis/Getty

As soon as Ming Lee walked, her feet landed on the runway.

“I grew up on the catwalk, walking with my mom and sister at the end of every Baby Phat show during New York Fashion Week,” she told W Magazine in 2017. “I’ve been in ads with my mom and sister since I was 2 years old. Only now do I realize how unusual it is, and I deeply appreciate these experiences.”

In addition to modeling for her mother’s clothing collection, she also posed for Kim Kardashian’s clothing line, SKIMS, and starred in a campaign for Khloé Kardashian’s Good American brand.

Ming Lee posed for the cover Galore magazine in March 2024.

She attended NYU

Kimora Lee Simmons and Ming Lee Simmons after her New York University graduation ceremony.

James Devaney/GC Images

Ming Lee studied fashion at New York University and graduated in June 2023.

Although she called her college experience “amazing” in an interview with Party tonightshe also recalled the toll taken by the pandemic.

“Literally, our whole generation had a really hard time because there was COVID and everything closed and everything moved online,” she said. “I think it feels really good to be done.”

Kimora echoed that sentiment, adding, “It was very, very difficult. So, to everyone who has been in school these past few years, congratulations! Not easy.”

She plans to continue working in the fashion industry

Kimora Lee Simmons and Ming Lee Simmons at the Kim Shui fashion show during New York Fashion Week in February 2023.

Rob Kim/Getty

Ming Lee – who played an important role in her mother’s clothing empire – plans to continue working at Baby Phat as she pursues her long-term goals.

“I studied fashion at school and I really, really love working with my mum, so that’s where I’ll start,” she said Party tonight. “Hopefully, in the future, [I will be doing] something with my own fashion brand and I just stick to fashion [world] because that’s what makes me really happy.”

She’s aware of the power her last name holds in the industry, but she’s determined to make a name for herself on her own merits. “I know I have to work hard and prove that I’m capable on my own,” she previously told Hypebae Beauty.

He finds inspiration in travels

Ming Lee Simmons.

Instagram Ming Lee Simmons

Ming Lee was exposed to travel from a young age and it is still a priority for him.

“My sister and I grew up surrounded by markers of all corners of our identity. My mom was active about immersing herself in culture and appreciating our heritage, whether it was travel, exposure to art and culture,” she told Hypebae Beauty.

The 23-year-old’s Instagram is filled with pictures from her recent travels, which include trips to Europe, Japan — where she spent part of the summer after college — tropical destinations and more.

Tyra Banks is her godmother

Tyra Banks with Ming-Lee Simmons backstage at the Baby Phat Spring 2003 fashion show.

Evan Agostini/ImageDirect

Kimora and Tyra Banks have known each other for decades. The two first met while modeling and even shared an apartment in Paris as teenagers while their careers were on the rise.

Supermodels remained friends until adulthood, with their ex America’s Next Top Model host serving as Kimora’s maid of honor at her 1998 wedding to Simmons.

Banks is also named Ming Lee’s godmother and has been photographed with her at events over the years, including Kimora’s fashion shows.

She and her mom have a close relationship

Kimora Lee Simmons and her daughter Ming Lee Simmons.

Kimora Lee Simmons Instagram

Ming Lee and her mom share a strong bond. The mother-daughter duo support each other personally and professionally, says Ming Lee W Magazine“Where she is in life, I want to be there at some point in the future.”

The two also protect each other when it comes to drama. When Ming Lee shared a post wishing her mom a happy Father’s Day 2023, her father took issue with the post, writing a cryptic message on his Instagram stories the next day, blasting his ex-wife.

Kimora quickly came to her daughter’s defense in a now-deleted series of posts, writing, “Leave my kids alone. This story of attacking the sole caregiver, the sole parent in a home with children, mother and children for their own shortcomings and inconveniences is dead. Dead. Dead.”

She is a twin with her mom

Kimora Lee Simmons and Ming Lee Simmons attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Dwyane Wade.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Ming Lee and Kimora not only look alike, they also dress alike. The couple has been spotted coordinating outfits at events over the years, including the 2022 amfAR Gala and Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame induction celebration in August 2023.

With similar tastes in style, said Ming Lee W Magazine that she is known for going through her mother’s closet. “I’m definitely stealing all her vintage pieces from 10 years ago… And the new ones too,” she said.

As for the best fashion advice her mom gave her: “Don’t go too bare,” she told PEOPLE with a laugh while on the red carpet for The Daily Front Order Fashion Media Awards.

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Source: HIS Education