Jimmy Choo
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Jimmy Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1961 into a family of shoe makers. He made his first shoe when he was only 11 years old. He attended Cordwainers's Technical College in London and the London College of Fashion.
[edit] Expanding the Company
As accessories editor at Vogue UK, Tamara Yeardye Mellon sensed a real demand for stylish but wearable shoes and approached Mr. Jimmy Choo, a couture shoe-maker based in the East End of London, recognised for his excellent craftsmanship.
Tamara partnered with Mr Jimmy Choo to start the ready to wear company and sourced factories in Italy to produce the shoes on a larger scale. Consequently, plans were made to open the first Jimmy Choo stand alone boutique and to develop the wholesale business throughout the fashion capitals of the world.
In April 2001, the expansion of Jimmy Choo took a significant step forward with the announcement of a new partnership with Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd. Equinox acquired Mr Choo's share of the ready to wear business with Robert Bensoussan, Equinox's chief executive becoming CEO of Jimmy Choo. Within 3 years, the company opened twenty six new stores, (in addition to the existing four) and introduced both handbag and small leather goods collections.
This was followed by another dramatic move on 19th November 2004 with Hicks Muse (Europe) announcing the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Jimmy Choo, in a transaction valuing the company at 101 million.
With the ethos in both design and outlook remaining the same, Jimmy Choo is looking to expand which will result the opening of up to 50 stores by 2008.
[edit] References in popular culture
- Jimmy Choo is namedropped in the Sugababes single Red Dress.
- Shyne has a single entitled 'Jimmy Choo' that features R&B, pop, hip-hop singer, Ashanti.
- Jimmy Choo shoes were a favorite of Adriana La Cerva on the HBO series The Sopranos, mentioned in several episodes.
- Was mentioned several times in The Devil Wears Prada (film), and was also worn by stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
- Was mentioned in In Her Shoes. Cameron Diaz's character wrecked a pair of Jimmy Choos.
- Was mentioned in an episode of The TV show Gilmore Girls
- Was mentioned several times in Sex and the City. Sara Jessica Parker wore a $615 pair of Jimmy Choos in one episode.
- Was mentioned in Cow Belles. Alyson Michalka's character mentions it as she is in a car during her driver's test.
- Was mentioned in season 3 of the reality show Beauty and the Geek.
- Was mentioned in the R&B remix of Look At Her by One Chance featuring Lloyd, Bobby Valentino, and Trey Songz.
- A Jimmy Choo store was shown on the TV show The Real Housewives of Orange County during season 2 episode 16.
- In an Ugly Betty episode, Jimmy Choos were mentioned and worn by Wilhelmina Slater.
- Socialite and heiress Paris Hilton wears many Jimmy Choo-brand shoes[citation needed].
- They are also mentioned in Hilary Duff's single 'Dignity'.
- In Kinky Boots, the main character's fiancée, Nicola, wants to get married in a pair of red Jimmy Choos.
[edit] External links
Categories: Cleanup from March 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Year of birth missing | Hakka people | British businesspeople | Shoe designers | Officers of the Order of the British Empire | Chinese Malaysians
