Inside Jimmy Choo Personal Life: His Marriage and Awards

Uncover in-depth perspectives surrounding Inside Jimmy Choo Personal Life: His Marriage and Awards in this special report.

Choo has received numerous awards for his contributions to fashion. In appreciation of his contributions to the United Kingdom, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002. Choo was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of the Arts London to round out the decade. He was also named a Commander of the Order of the Meritorious Service in his own country of Malaysia in 2013.

Meanwhile, Choo decided to stay in London after college. He eventually ended up working for two different design firms for a total of nine years. Choo extended his business by creating his own shop in a rented old hospital building in 1986. He was quickly discovered by prominent events and organizations such as London Fashion Week and Vogue magazine. His shoes were featured in an eight-page spread in the latter, significantly raising his profile. Choo’s image was further enhanced by Diana, Princess of Wales’ support in the early 1990s.

In the early 1990s, Choo collaborated with fashion assistant Tamara Mellon through Vogue magazine. Mellon soon left the magazine, and she pitched Choo the concept of creating a luxury, ready-to-wear shoe line. Choo achieved precisely that in 1996, co-founding J. Choo Limited with Mellon, whose parents contributed cash for a 50% ownership in the company. The first Jimmy Choo store debuted in London on Motcomb Street.

Choo rose to prominence a few years later when he was mentioned in the fifth episode of the HBO television series “Sex and the City.” This marked the beginning of a new celebrity-driven go-to-market model, prompting Choo to open his first stores in the United States, in New York City and Los Angeles. Mellon’s Get Good Ink PR agency dyed the Jimmy Choos they loaned to celebrities at the Academy Awards in hues that matched their gowns, bringing the company greater notice in early 1999.

Businessman Robert Bensoussan founded Equity Luxury Holdings with David Burns of Phoenix Equity Partners in 2001. Following that, Yearnoxe, a new holding company, took over J. Choo Limited’s European and US operations. Choo sold his investment in Yearnoxe for £8.8 million and departed the company, with Equinox owning 51% and Mellon and her father owning the other 49%. J. Choo Limited changed hands several times throughout the years, including acquisitions by Lion Capital, TowerBrook Capital Partners, Gala Capital, and Labelux. The company went public on the London Stock Exchange in late 2014, and it remained there until it was purchased by Michael Kors Holdings in late 2017.

Choo founded Jimmy Choo Couture Limited in 2006 as a distinct endeavor from the Jimmy Choo ready-to-wear brand to continue his work on his exclusive shoe line. The shoes, which are sold under license by J. Choo Limited, are only available by appointment at Connaught Street in London.

Choo has received numerous awards for his contributions to fashion. In appreciation of his contributions to the United Kingdom, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002. Choo was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of the Arts London to round out the decade. He was also named a Commander of the Order of the Meritorious Service in his own country of Malaysia in 2013.