Lessons from the sole

For a person who once said a pair of shoes should not be less than four inches high, Jimmy Choo OBE is remarkably grounded.

"I come from a humble background, my father was a shoe designer and shoe maker, and my mother helped my father with his business.

I grew up with shoes," he says. But even though his parents were in the shoe business his interest in shoes came naturally. "I had fun making shoes, it was like a game for me," he says. The first pair he made was for his mother when he was 11 years old.

Jimmy Choo shoes have become synonymous with celebrities, actresses, royalty and pop stars with help from co-founder Tamara Mellon, previously an editor with British Vogue. Not surprisingly, Choo makes and wears his own shoes ("I've lost count of the number of pairs I've made for myself") and is said to don platforms when he goes to parties.

Unbeknown to many outside the fashion industry, Choo is no longer involved in the operations or management of Jimmy Choo ready-to-wear, and has not been for more than a decade. Choo sold his 50 per cent stake in the company in 2001 for £10 million (HK$121.3 million).

Now, people who want a pair of Choo's designed by the maestro himself, must book an appointment at Jimmy Choo Couture based in London. A pair of Choo's bespoke shoes is ready five to six weeks from the initial appointment.

However, today Choo doesn't want to focus on shoes. Through his link with University of the Arts in London - Choo was made an Honorary Fellow in 2004 - he is able to further his non-fashion-related work, and his interest in the promotion of education.

"I work with the university to inspire the younger generation to pursue tertiary education. I travel the world on behalf of the university and the British Council, to give talks on the importance of education, and the opportunities it can offer young people to advance in life," he says. Choo enjoys the opportunity to speak at conferences and universities. During a recent speech at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Talk in Shanghai, Choo told a captive audience of 1,900 students the story of the first pair of shoes he made for his mother, including an impromptu tai chi demonstration, all in less than 18 minutes.

"The opportunity to learn is everyone's birthright. As long as the willingness to learn is strong, you will learn," he says. "Education does not guarantee success but it provides more structured perspectives, and helps pave the way to reach one's desires," he says.

In 2009, Malaysian Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen appointed Choo - a native Malaysian - an ambassador for tourism.