How Princess Diana's Favorite Designer Became Famous for Her Niece's Ideas, and Why Left His Brand: Jimmy Choo

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

You can often hear: "There is a woman behind every great man." In the case of Jimmy Choo, this is the truth. For many years, the brand, created by a shoe maker from Malaysia, was developed by women - and not only as customers. Every fashionista in the 2000s was ready to sell her soul for a pair of shoes of a cult brand, not knowing that sketches, ideas, advertising and promotion - all this was done by female hands …

Jimmy Choo was born in Malaysia, but he is of Chinese origin. Chu made his first pair of shoes (actually Cho, but one day there was an error in the paperwork) at the age of eleven. He was not a child prodigy - he was just born and raised in a family of shoemakers. From childhood he was on the catch of the elders - he brought tools, performed simple assignments … However, the career of a simple master did not appeal to him. Jimmy wanted to be someone big, someone who designs shoes and doesn't sew on soles. So, he went to conquer London.

In London, Chu entered the London Technical College. To pay for his studies, he got a job as a worker in a shoe factory and as a cleaner in a restaurant. Despite the fact that Jimmy's life was not easy, he graduated from college with honors. He opened his own enterprise in the building of an abandoned hospital in 1986. For a decade, he collected equipment, looked for employees, tried to get a feel for the market. His shop looked just awful - barbed wire, gratings, shabby shelves, worn carpet …

But only one master in all London knew how to make really comfortable pointed-toed high-heeled shoes - Jimmy Choo. Such models before him were produced only by the Manolo Blahnic brand. And - only one designer in this city could create such an extravagant and bold design that a simple pair of shoes turned into an object of desire for women of any age, income level and social status. The name of this designer is Sandra Chow - Jimmy's niece. At seventeen, she joined her uncle's venture, cutting off ties with all her other relatives - the conservative family did not encourage the girl's aspirations for creativity. Jimmy sewed shoes according to her sketches and from materials suggested by her. According to the recollections of his employees, he was an excellent craftsman, but he lacked an artistic outlook on things.

Gradually, the extravagant design and high quality of Jimmy Choo shoes attracted the attention of not only ordinary customers, but also Vogue editors. Jimmy's shoes based on Sandra's drawings appeared on the pages of gloss. He had rich and famous customers. And then one day he got a call … from Kensington Palace. So Chu made several pairs for Princess Diana's ceremonial outings and became famous throughout the world. The purple shoes were especially good, exactly the same color as her evening dress.

Then another woman appeared in his life. Her name was Tamara Mellon. She had her own vintage clothing store, a job as assistant editor-in-chief of the accessories department of British Vogue, and a fabulously rich father - co-owner of Vidal Sassoon. At first, her brand development plan seemed like a silly joke to Chu. But Tamara did not back down. She tidied up Jimmy's cluttered workshop, entered into a pact with Sandra, persuaded her father to support the young designer's venture, took an active part in the development of new collections, inspired and guided her ward, introduced the right people … This is how the first Jimmy Choo boutique was opened in London.

It was 1996. For the next ten years, the duo of Chu and Mellon conquered the fashion world. Jimmy Choo boutiques soon appeared in New York, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, and in the early 2000s, the brand entered Asian markets. All Hollywood stars were fascinated by the daring and at the same time graceful Jimmy Choo shoes. Sandals with dizzying high heels, reminiscent of the shoes of ancient Roman gladiators, have become a symbol of glamor of the 2000s. "I lost my Jimmy Choo!" exclaims one of the heroines of the cult series of those years, Kerry Bradshaw, while searching for a pair of purple suede shoes trimmed with feathers. The series did a good publicity for Jimmy - his name became synonymous with luxury life and the American dream around the world.

However, in reality, things did not go so smoothly. Jimmy felt that he was losing his own brand - he didn't decide anything else. Sandra was engaged in the development of collections for mass production and no longer painted shoes with feathers and Swarovski crystals, all ideas belonged to Tamara … In the end, Chu fell out with both of his colleagues and left his own enterprise. Tamara Mellon remained at the helm of Jimmy Choo for another ten years, but over time, the load became unbearable. Tamara complained of lack of energy, panic attacks, depression. In the end, she sold her stake and left the brand to develop her own fashion brand.

And Sandra stayed … and changed everything. Finally, she had the opportunity to work according to her tastes, not succumbing to the whims of celebrities or the instructions of her superiors. Rough boots, sandals with high cork soles, suede flip-flops, snakeskin sneakers, flat shoes … From the glamorous brand of the 2000 era, Jimmy Choo has evolved into a modern contemporary brand that is loved by the young generation of European, American and Asian stars. The assortment was significantly expanded, bags, clothes and perfumes appeared, a line of men's shoes was created separately - Sandra Chou solely manages the release of all collections.

And what about the founder of the brand? In his native Malaysia, Jimmy Chu received the title Dato - an analogue of the Knight of the British Empire (he also has an Order of the British Empire), opened several factories there that give people jobs and offer training in making high-quality shoes, and then went into a restaurant business in London. He is actively promoting the culture, cuisine and history of his country in the West - and does not seem to be particularly sad about past fame.