Jimmy Choo (company)

Jimmy Choo is a British high fashion house specialising in luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and fragrances. The company, J. Choo Limited,[2] 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.[3] The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired in November 2017 by Michael Kors Holdings, now Capri Holdings.

This article is about the Jimmy Choo brand and company. For the designer who gave his name to the company, see Jimmy Choo.

J. Choo Limited
Jimmy Choo
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFashion
Founded1996 (1996)
FoundersTamara Mellon OBE
Jimmy Choo OBE
Headquarters
London
,
England
Key people
Peter Harf, Chairman
Pierre Denis, Chief Executive Officer
Sandra Choi, Creative Director and designer
Jonathan Sinclair, Chief Financial Officer
ProductsShoes, handbags, accessories, fragrances
Revenue£364.0 million (2016)[1]
£42.5 million (2016)[1]
£15.4 million (2016)[1]
OwnerCapri Holdings
Number of employees
1,278 (2016)[1]
ParentJimmy Choo (Holdings) Limited[2]
Websitewww.jimmychoo.com

History
A pair of green Jimmy Choo shoes

The brand traces its roots to shoemaker Jimmy Choo, based in the East End of London in the early 1990s, who catered to the global jet set, including Diana, Princess of Wales.[4] The J. Choo company was eventually founded in 1996, when social figure Tamara Mellon joined Choo and his niece, Sandra Choi.[5] Choo departed the company in 2001.

Choo sold his 50% share in the company to Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd. in 2001. Lion Capital acquired a majority shareholding in November 2004,[6] and the company was sold in 2007 to TowerBrook Capital Partners for £225 million.[7]

In 2011, it was sold to Labelux (which was integrated into its parent company, JAB Holding Company in July 2014) for £525.5 million.[8] In 2012, the company hired ex-LVMH executive Pierre Denis as its CEO.[9][10]

The company's IPO was announced in September 2014. In October 2014, the company announced it would price its London Stock Exchange listing at 140 pence a share, giving the firm an equity value of £546 million.[11]

The company put itself up for sale in April 2017.[12] In July 2017, it was announced that the company would be bought by Michael Kors Holdings in a deal worth £896m.[13][14] The transaction was completed on 1 November 2017.[15]

Shoes under licence

Separate to the Jimmy Choo ready-to-wear brand, Mr. Jimmy Choo began Jimmy Choo Couture Limited in late 2006 to continue his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture shoe line, which is produced under license from J. Choo Ltd., available by appointment only at Connaught Street in London.[16]

Stores
Jimmy Choo store at Woodbury Common, New York

The first Jimmy Choo store was opened in 1996 on Motcomb Street in London.[17][18] Two years later, the company expanded to the US, opening two stores in New York City and Beverly Hills. 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,[19] Hong Kong[20] and Japan.[21] 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.[22]

Awards

The brand has won awards for its products, including the British Fashion Council Awards Designer Brand category in 2008,[23] the Accessories Council Brand of the Year 2008,[24] the Footwear News Brand of the Year Award, and the 2009 Nordstrom Partners in Excellence award.[25]

Enforcement

J. Choo Ltd. has over 600 design patents to its name.[26] The company has brought up several prominent cases for copyright and trademark infringement, as well as being the target of "knock-off" counterfeit imports in the UK, the US and Australia.[27][28][29] The company has sued Oasis, Warehouse and Marks & Spencer for copying shoes and bags.[30][31]

Cultural references
  • Jimmy Choo suede and leather platforms worn by Carrie Bradshaw in American television show Sex and the City Season 3, Episode 1,1999. She lost a shoe running to catch the Staten Island Ferry and said "I lost my Choo!"[32]
  • The Jimmy Choo 'Abel pump' was featured in the South Korean TV show My Love, From The Star, in 2014[33]
  • In 2006 US film 'The Devil Wears Prada', Jimmy Choo shoes are worn by Andy Sachs, assistant to the editor on 'Runway' magazine.[34]
  • Jimmy Choo footwear is worn by a villain, and cited as a clue to the nature of her character, in The Salt-Stained Book, a children's novel by Julia Jones.[35]
  • The Jimmy Choo "Vanessa 85" red suede and nappa pointy toe pumps were featured in the American TV show "House of Cards" Season 6, Episode 5, 2018. Character Jane Davis enters a room in the white house while carrying the pair of pumps in her hand.[36]

References
  1. "2016 Annual Report and Financial Statements" (PDF). Jimmy Choo. 31 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. "J. Choo Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  3. Moss, Hilary (9 November 2009). "Jimmy Choo: I was Princess Diana's Shoemaker". Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  4. "How boy from Penang became shoemaker of choice for British royals". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  5. Achara, Esther Adams. "Meet Sandra Choi, the Woman Behind Glam Shoe Brand Jimmy Choo". Glamour. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  6. Roberts, Andrew (30 June 2014). "JAB Takes Control of Jimmy Choo-Owner Labelux as CEO Steps Down". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  7. "Jimmy Choo sells for £525.5 million". Female First. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. "Jimmy Choo sells for £525.5 million". London Evening Standard. 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  9. "Pierre Denis, CEO of Jimmy Choo". elitetraveler.com.
  10. Bourke, Joanna (17 February 2017). "Meet Pierre Denis: The fashion 'outsider' steering luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo's growth steps".
  11. Jimmy Choo set to price London IPO at 140 pence a share. Reuters, 16 October 2014
  12. "Jimmy Choo puts itself up for sale". BBC NEWS. 24 April 2017.
  13. "Jimmy Choo bought by Michael Kors in £896m deal (US$1.2 Billion)". BBC NEWS. 25 July 2017.
  14. Lauren Gensler, Michael Kors Is Buying Jimmy Choo For $1.2 Billion forbes.com 25 July 2017
  15. "Michael Kors Holdings completed acquisition of Jimmy Choo". Post Online Media. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  16. "As H&M launches a Jimmy Choo collection for the mass market, the original Choo tells Roya Nikkhah why he's happier designing for a small and exclusive clientele". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  17. Alexander, Ella (7 July 2011). "Jimmy Choo's Tamara Mellon interview | British Vogue". Vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  18. Harrington, Ben (7 August 2010). "Jimmy Choo may change hands for £500m". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  19. "Jimmy Choo takes control of Chinese distribution". retail-week.com.
  20. Claer Barrett (6 September 2011). "Jimmy Choo buys out Hong Kong partner". Financial Times.
  21. "Jimmy Choo to acquire Japan operations". My-Retail Media.
  22. "Woodbury Common". Jimmy Choo. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  23. "2008 Award Winners". 25 November 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  24. "Jimmy Choo awarded brand of the year award by the Accessories Council". TowerBrook Capital Partners L.C. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  25. Ramey, Joanna (26 May 2009). "Nordstrom Honors Ugg, Jimmy Choo". Footwear News. Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  26. "IPEXL.com Applicant/Assignee - J Choo". ipexl.com.
  27. "Counterfeit goods seized at port". BBC News. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  28. Bay City News (19 May 2008). "Customs Officials Seize $22 Million in Chinese Merchandise at Port of Oakland". Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  29. AAP (4 March 2011). "Fake fashion worth $2m seized". news.com.au. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  30. Muspratt, Caroline (19 December 2006). "Jimmy Choo handbags M&S". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  31. Mesure, Susie (1 November 2009). "Designer tie-ups: A high street love affair". The Independent. London. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  32. Elliott, Hannah (16 June 2011). "The 15 Most Iconic Jimmy Choos". Forbes.
  33. Binkley, Christina (30 April 2014). "How a Jimmy Choo Shoe Became a Global Best Seller - WSJ". WSJ.
  34. "The Devil Wears Prada - Movie Quotes - Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com.
  35. Julia Jones: The Salt-Stained Book, 2011, Golden Duck, ISBN 978-1-899262-04-5.
  36. "What Claire's clothes are meant to convey on 'House of Cards'". EW.com. Retrieved 24 November 2018.

Further reading
  • Mellon, Tamara; William Patrick (2013). In My Shoes: A Memoir. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. ISBN 9781591846161. OCLC 855783504.
  • Goldstein Crowe, Lauren; Sagra Maceira de Rosen (2009). The Jimmy Choo Story: Power, Profits and the Pursuit of the Perfect Shoe. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781408800850.
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