Phat Farm clothing is part of the apparel segment of Rush Communications. Rush Communications is one of the most successful African American owned media companies in the United States which was founded by hip hop mogul Russell Simmons. Some say that the word phat is street slang for “the ultimate” yet some say that it could be an acronym for “pretty hot and tempting”. Phat Fashions was born in 1992 and has since then moved beyond male hip hop clothing to lines for women and children as well. Over the years Russell Simmons wife at the time, Kimora Lee Simmons, took on a large responsibility for the growing fashion line and helped transform the brand into a true lifestyle brand. Phat Farm merchandise is sold in two company owned Phat Farm stores, one in New York and one in Montreal, and its clothing lines are sold in over 3,000 U.S. retail stores.

When Russell Simmons started Phat Farm fashions in 1992 he was selling his merchandise in a small shop on Prince Street in the SoHo district of Manhattan. Because this was an unfamiliar business for Simmons he teamed up with Marc Bagutta who owned a SoHo boutique. The line’s designers were not formally trained but were twenty-two year old former skateboarding graffiti artists who grew up in New York together. Russell Simmons most important contribution was that he was able to place rap artists in the Phat Farm clothing. However, Simmons and his team did not want to limit the line to be classified as urban teenwear. They strived to offer a line with classic clothing that was inspired by lines such as Ralph Lauren, Timberland, and Tommy Hilfiger. Phat Farm clothing was successful from the start generation 2 million dollars in sales in its first year. As a result the line was picked up by several retail stores throughout the country.