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Fabulosity in motion

Born in St Louis, Missouri, Kimora was never less than fabulous. At 13, she arrived in Paris to work as a house model at Chanel under Karl Lagerfeld, making her catwalk debut as the Haute Couture 'bride' in her first season. She went on to marry Def Jam record label boss Russell Simmons, one of the richest men in America, with whom she has two daughters, Ming, ten, and Aoki, seven. The couple separated in 2006 and she now has a one-year-old son, Kenzo, with the actor Djimon Hounsou.

Kimora is also the CEO and creative director of the rhinestone- encrusted denim-wear label Baby Phat, as well as producing several ghetto-fabulous fashion lines, including the upcoming Kouture by Kimora range, fragrances, jewellery, cosmetics and shoes. Now this hip-hop goddess is the star of her own reality-TV show, Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.

We want to know how she does it: 'Fabulosity is more than a philosophy; it's a way of life. I invented the term to define the qualities I love: glamour, style, charisma, power and heart. It's the way I live my life every day. I tell people "fake it till you make it"; that's a big phrase if you think about it. It can mean anything from putting on the attitude when you don't Clutches Purses feel like it, to putting on the smile when you're sad, because you have other people that rely on you. And eventually that smile will become you. It's Fabulosity in action.

'I was raised by a single mother, so I have a strong respect for women and our capabilities. I want young women to understand that what I consider the art of being fabulous is not what they think they see - the jewellery, the flashy cars and the great clothes. It's not those things, it's something that's inside you; it's your spirit, it's your energy. It's not something that your favourite singer has. No. These people have inside them the drive to go and create and to be great citizens and people that we look up to. My message is you have all those things inside you, too. I want you to feel empowered, to be able to go and strive to achieve these things for yourself - a wonderful career, or a great marriage. Whatever it is that you want, you can have it; whatever is in them is within you as well.

'People say I'm a feminist; I don't put my bra in the freezer or anything but I guess I'm a modern-day feminist - I also believe in chivalry and men doing their part and being responsible, and I always want my girls to be treated wonderfully. I feel a responsibility to young women - I want them to know that even though I'm loud and I'm funny and I love my fashion, it's not about a Chanel jacket that I bought, it's about the something inside me that drove me to get an education and to have a certain respect and a certain discipline about my work and things that I want.

I was a little girl who came from not much in St Louis and the things that I was exposed to - like Karl Lagerfeld, who taught me everything I know about the fashion industry - I took and turned into so much more. I can inspire people to achieve their goals by my example; that's very important.

'Every day you have to get up and put on your best game face, wherever you're going. You're the best example of what you're trying to say and do and you are pushing a product: you are the believer, you are the one who's done the work, you are the one who has the knowledge and you will bring that to other people. I'm a brand, baby, and every day I'm my own best advertisement, but the same thing goes whoever you are, whatever you want to achieve. I want to be your own personal Wonder Woman - the larger-than-life fox in a satin bustier who throws a lasso around her dreams.' Kimor
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