Jimmy Choo: how a boy from Penang, Malaysia, became the shoemaker of choice for British royalty, including Princess Diana
With clients ranging from Hollywood celebrities to Diana, Princess of Wales, the Malaysian designer has left a lasting imprint on the world of fashion. He puts his staggering success down to the good old-fashioned values of family, education, and a willingness to help
As a boy growing up in the Malaysian state of Penang in the 1950s, Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat enjoyed an atypical after-school routine, but it would prove invaluable to laying the groundwork for his now world-famous shoe brand.
Raised in quaint George Town in a simpler era without television, the internet and other modern technologies, many children might have found themselves bored. Not Choo.
Free from electronic distractions, Choo said he had the world’s most valuable resource at his disposal – time. Pairing this with his insatiable curiosity, the eager young designer spent his formative years in his father’s shoemaking workshop. The experience would spark a deep passion for traditional bespoke footwear.
Every day after school as a seven-year-old, Choo would watch his father and other craftsmen put together beautiful, handmade shoes.
Little did he know that one day the Choo name would be the toast of the international fashion world.
The legendary design icon’s journey from penniless university student to major player in Europe’s fashion capitals is an inspiring tale. Today, he counts the British royal family and Hollywood celebrities among his most loyal and elite clientele.