Jimmy Choo

Datuk Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat PJN DIMP DSPN OBE[2] (born 15 November 1948) is a Malaysian fashion designer of Chinese descent based in the United Kingdom. He co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd, which became known for its handmade women's shoes.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Choo (周).

Yang Berbahagia Datuk

Jimmy Choo

PJN DIMP DSPN OBE
Jimmy Choo in 2012
Born
Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat

(1948-11-15) 15 November 1948[1]
George Town, Crown Colony of Penang, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Alma materCordwainers Technical College
OccupationFashion designer
Spouse(s)Rebecca Choo
Children2
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese周仰傑
Simplified Chinese周仰杰
Tâi-lôTsiu Ióng-kia̍t

Early life

Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia, into a Hakka family of shoemakers. His family name is Chow (Chinese: 周), but was misspelled on his birth certificate as Choo. He studied at Shih Chung Primary School in Love Lane, Penang. Choo's father, a shoemaker who made all of his shoes by hand, taught him the craft. Choo made his first pair of shoes when he was 11 years old, a pair of slippers.[3][4]

Between 1982 and 1984, Choo studied at Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney (now part of the London College of Fashion) in London, England.[5] He went to a design firm to work after graduation, wishing to remain in London instead of going back to Malaysia.[4]

Career

After college, Choo worked at two design companies for a total of nine years before opening his own business. Choo's parents moved to Britain to help him get started, and he eventually expanded the business by opening his own shop in 1986, renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed at London Fashion Week in 1988. After seeing his creations, Vogue featured the shoes in an eight page spread. Choo has said that his designs became significantly more popular after the Vogue coverage.[4] Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales in the early 1990s further boosted his image.[4]

In 1996, Choo co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue magazine accessories editor Tamara Mellon.[6] In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for £10 million.[6] He has since concentrated his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd.[7] The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo Ready-To-Wear or, simply, Jimmy Choo, is under the purview of Tamara Mellon. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags.

Personal life

Choo lives in London and is currently involved in a project to set up a shoemaking institute in Malaysia. His company continues to produce expensive high-end shoes.

He is married to Rebecca Choo (née Choi) from Hong Kong. The couple have a daughter (Emily) and a son (Danny). Danny Choo is the creator of Smart Doll and his father designs shoes for the doll. A niece of the couple, Sandra Choi, followed in her uncle's footsteps by becoming a shoe designer.

He is mentioned in Fetty Wap's 2015 hit titled "Jimmy Choo", Placebo's track "Follow the cops back home", Vybz Kartel's song "Yabba Dabba Doo", the Bollywood hit song "Abhi toh Party Shuru Hui Hai" from the movie "Khubsurat" (2014), and UnoTheActivist's "Ice Age" featuring Gunna (rapper).

Choo and his designer godson Reggie Hung have launched an exhibition "Genavant- Step to Elegance" at the Cambridge International Art Gallery on 2 February 2018.

Awards and honours
  • 2002: Conferred an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to the shoe and fashion industry in the UK
  • 2004: Awarded an honorary doctorate in art by De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, for his contribution to their unique Single Honours Footwear Design degree
  • 2009: Awarded an Honorary Fellowship by University of the Arts London[8]
  • 2011: Winner of "The World’s Outstanding Malaysian Designer 2011" Design for Asia Award for the "Daniel" part
  • 2012: Received You Bring Charm to the World – the Most Influential Malaysian Award
  • 2013: Became a member of the Red Dot product design jury.[9]

Honours of Malaysia

International Honours
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References
  1. Newsmakers (2006) Gale Biography In Context, Detroit
  2. Back from London to receive award Archived 15 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine AllMalaysia.info, 27 August 2004
  3. The Jimmy Choo connection at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 March 2015)
  4. "How boy from Penang became shoemaker of choice for British royals". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  5. "London College of Fashion (formerly Cordwainers College) - Jimmy Choo OBE". Association of Colleges.
  6. Solomon, Michael. "Luxury Lineage: A Brief History of Jimmy Choo". Forbes. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  7. "Jimmy Choo finds right fit with sole couture line". GMA News Online. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  8. "UAL Honorary Fellows and Doctorates". arts.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  9. "Red Dot Design Award: Icon of the fashion world: Dato' Professor Jimmy Choo debuts as a red dot juror in 2013". en.red-dot.org. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  10. Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri's birthday honours list TheStar.com.my, 10 July 2004

Further reading
  • Mellon, Tamara; William Patrick (2013). In My Shoes: A Memoir. New York: PortfolioPenguin. ISBN 9781591846161. OCLC 855783504.
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