Jimmy Choo

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This article is about the shoe designer. For the company bearing his name, see Jimmy Choo
Ltd.

Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo (second from left) with (from left)

Kavita Sidhu, Heah Sieu Lay, Andrea Fonseka and
Amber Chia.
Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat
15 November 1948 (age 67)[1]
Born
George Town, Penang, Malaya (now
Malaysia)
Occupation Shoe designer
Datuk Jimmy Choo, OBE Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhu
Yngji),[2] (born 15 November 1948) is a Malaysian fashion designer based in the United
Kingdom. He is best known for co-founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its
handmade women's shoes.

Contents

1 Early life

2 Education and career

3 Personal life

4 Awards and honours

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Early life

Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia, into a family of shoemakers. His family name is Chow
but was misspelled on his birth certificate as Choo. He studied at Shih Chung Primary School
in Love Lane, Penang. His father taught him how to make shoes, and it is often reported that
he made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. [3]

Education and career

Choo graduated from Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney (now part of the London
College of Fashion) in 1983. Choo worked part-time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe
factory to help fund his college education. After graduation Choo began work at a shop in
Hackney which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and
designs were soon noticed and his creations became featured in eight pages in a 1988 issue of
Vogue. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales from 1990 further boosted his image.
In 1996 he co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue magazine accessories editor
Tamara Mellon. In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for 10 million. He
has since concentrated his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under
license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. 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 readyto-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 (ne Choi) from Hong Kong. The couple have a son, Danny,
and a daughter, Emily. A niece of the couple, Lucy Choi, followed her uncle's footstep into
shoe designing.
He is referenced in Fetty Wap's 2015 hit titled "Jimmy Choo".

Awards and honours

2000: Bestowed a state award carrying the title of Dato' by the Sultan of Pahang state
in Malaysia

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 the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri
(Governor) of his home state of Penang, which also carries the title Dato'[4]

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[5]

2011: Winner of "The Worlds 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.[6]