Designer of Futures

Datuk Jimmy Choo trains the younger generation at the JCA, London Fashion Academy

- Aaron Pereira

Behind the fame and success is a filial son and humble man; Datuk Jimmy Choo regales me with the short version of how he made his name. “After finishing my studies in London, I went on to work for a factory to get more experience, while I applied and got my PR status, before I started my own business,” shares Choo about his initial struggles.

“When I started back then, it was thanks to mum’s encouragement, and of course, my dad, who’s a shoe designer too. They saved their money, even sold some of their gold, and gave me some capital to begin with. I didn’t want to ask them for more so I worked in a restaurant part-time to pay my rent and such.”

Looking back, Choo regretted the choice of location for starting his business. In 1986, he opened his first store in an abandoned hospital building (the former Metropolitan Free Hospital) in London’s East End. “There simply weren’t enough people coming around back then to support the business. Together with my father, we started designing some sandals to be sold at a Sunday market. It wasn’t under the Jimmy Choo label then; we just marked them as ‘handmade’ to be sold at an affordable rate,” says Choo, who would sell out all 50 pairs of sandals each week.