A Closer Look At: Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo is known for their high-end collections of towering shoes and releasing a selection of irresistible fragrances such as Illicit, Blossom and Flash.
Early Life
Before the man himself rose to stardom, Jimmy Choo had a humble start. Before starting his own business, he grew up as the son of a shoe cobbler and by the age of 11, the now-worldwide sensation had made his first pair of shoes.
In the early 1980s, Choo travelled from his hometown Penang, in Malaysia to Hackney, in Britain to study at the Cordwainers Technical College. In 1983 he graduated with honours and just three years later opened his first shop, a made-to-order boutique for private clients such as Diana, Princess of Wales. After he rapidly grew a strong reputation for his business, his handmade shoes were featured in an eight-page spread in Vogue magazine by 1988.
Building His Empire
After continually building a relationship with Vogue, Tamara Mellon, a former accessories editor at the magazine, offered a partnership with Choo to create a larger line of shoes. They launched Jimmy Choo Ltd, Mellon became the brand’s designer and Choo produced the footwear. By the late 1990s, Jimmy Choo was a household name and had shops in Los Angeles, New York and the high-end footwear was also being sold at Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue. The company became known for dressing A-list stars such as Hollywood bombshell, Julia Roberts and the shoes were even featured in an episode of Sex and the City.
Selling Up
However, the business partners seemed to have different ideas for the direction of the brand and in 2001 Choo sold his half of the company to Robert Bensoussan of Equinox Luxury Holdings, a private equity firm, for $30 million (£22.6 million). He decided to go back to his roots by opening a small shoe shop in London that now runs as the headquarters for the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line. Mellon continued as the chief creative officer at the high fashion house, along with Choo’s niece Sandra Choi, the co-creative director.
Jimmy Choo Lifestyle
The company released handbag and sunglasses collections that introduced a lifestyle element to the brand and in 2011 they launched their first signature fragrance, Jimmy Choo. The scent, that oozes warm, rich and woody depths, became an instant classic after being praised around the globe from critics. The perfume was ‘inspired by modern women’ and continued the brand’s seductive style by conjuring a sense of strength, allure and confidence. However, later that year, Mellon left the company when Jimmy Choo was sold again to the German luxury-goods firm Labelux for $850 million (£752.3 million) with Choi staying on as creative director.
Jimmy Choo - Flash
In 2012 Jimmy Choo’s second fragrance, Flash, was released and was described by many as the brand’s ultimate accessory as the intoxicating scent was designed to embody the feeling of strutting around in a pair of sexy shoes and to symbolise the thrill of dressing up for a glitzy occasion. The perfume exudes glamour with sparkles of pink pepper, tangerine, strawberry and a dash of white flowers and tuberose.
Jimmy Choo - Man
After releasing a number of seductive and powerful female perfumes, Jimmy Choo released their first male fragrance, Jimmy Choo MAN, in 2014. The masculine scent kept within the sultry image of the brand as it was created for confident and sophisticated men with a classic sense of style. The scent is combined with dashes of pink pepper, pineapple, lavender, patchouli, suede and honeydew melon to create a fresh and modern smell.
The iconic-brand is now a well-established name in the perfume industry after continually releasing popular fragrances over the years such as Blossom, Illicit and Jimmy Choo Man Intense.
A selection of Jimmy Choo's most popular fragrances are available to buy from Perfume Direct.
