Description
Jimmy Choo is a British luxury fashion house specialising in shoes, handbags, accessories and fragrances. The company, J. Choo Limited, was founded in 1996 by Malaysian Chinese couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon. The brand claims to have been a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired in November 2017 by Michael Kors Holdings, now Capri Holdings.
Stores
The first Jimmy Choo store was opened in the fall of 1996 on Motcomb Street in London. The store's first saleswoman was 18-year old Hannah Colman, the girlfriend of Tamara's youngest brother, Daniel. In October 2001, the London store was moved to 169 Draycott Avenue.
In December 2003, a Jimmy Choo boutique opened on Bond Street and later a third on Sloane Street.
The first two US stores were opened in November 1998: a New York boutique in the Olympic Tower off Fifth Avenue, and a joint store with Vidal Sassoon in Los Angeles at the corner of North Canon and Little Santa Monica Boulevard (in 1998, the US stores were held jointly and evenly by Tom and Ann Yeardye on one side, Vidal Sassoon on the other).
Over the following years, Jimmy Choo expanded its store portfolio by opening directly operated stores and with local partners. Over 2011 and 2012, Jimmy Choo took control of the majority of its Asian operations in China, Hong Kong and Japan. Several boutiques are to be found in secondary outlets such as Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as smaller boutique stores on shopping estates such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York.
Awards
The brand has won awards for its products, including the British Fashion Council Awards Designer Brand category in 2008, the Accessories Council Brand of the Year 2008, the Footwear News Brand of the Year Award, and the 2009 Nordstrom Partners in Excellence award.
