Jimmy Choo

founded by

Jimmy Choo & Tamara Mellon

belongs to

Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd

about

Jimmy Choo Ltd is a British company selling luxury shoes. It was founded in 1996 by Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon and couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo. In April 2001 Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd bought up Jimmy Choo's 50% ownership of the ready to wear business.

Jimmy Choo himself has concentrated his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. This is available, by appointment only, at Connaught Street off Oxford Street in London. The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo ready-to-wear or simply, Jimmy Choo, is now under the purview of Tamara Mellon and Sandra Choi. Choi, who was an apprentice under Choo, is the Creative Director at the company. She is the niece of Choo's wife Rebecca. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags.

In the United States Jimmy Choo boutiques are found in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Bal Harbour, Costa Mesa, Chicago, American Manhassat, Palm Beach, Dallas, Houston, Coral Gables, Chevy Chase, MD, Las Vegas, Short Hills, Atlanta, and Orlando.

In 2009 his cousin Simon Choo currently residing in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), will take over his position as the company's head designer and CEO as announced in last year's board meeting(2006).

Though not custom-made, the Jimmy Choo line is all fabricated in Italy with an eye toward top quality. The collections are shown twice a year to coincide with the designer fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London, and New York. The company also offers men's shoes, handbags, and small leather goods. It has become one of the largest off-the-shelf luxury shoe companies in the world, with prices running from $300 to $1,600 per pair. In a very short length of time, Choo is selling almost as many pairs of shoes as his major competitor, 30-year-old Manolo Blahnik.