http://www.jimmychoo.com/collections/carnival-nights/icat/carnivalnightsuk/?10CMSlink=homerw
Source: Speak Up
Speaker: Justin Ratcliffe
Language level: Pre-intermediate
JIMMY CHOO
Jimmy Choo is famous throughout the world for high fashion shoes. He makes handmade couture shoes for the rich and famous. His clients include stars like Jennifer Lopes and Cherly Cole. Would you like a pair of Jimmy Choo’s? Customers must make an appointment at his workshop at 18 Connaught Street in Paddington, London. Prices begin at around €800.
THE REAL THING
Of course, you could visit one of the many Jimmy Choo boutiques around the world. You can find shoes in these shops at tower prices. But these aren’t genuine Jimmy Choo’s. The name on the front of the shop is certainly Jimmy Choo, but he sold his part of Jimmy Choo Limited in 2001.
DI AND I
Choo started his business in 1986. “Princess Diana helped me a lot,” he remembers. “Everyone noticed the evening shoes I made for her.” One person who noticed was Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon.
Mellon convinced Choo to design a line of ready-to-wear shoes. Then her father, multi-millionaire Tom Yardye, provided finance. Mellon transferred production to a factory in Italy, and opened the first Jimmy Choo boutique.
AN EARLY START
Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1961. He made his first pair of shoes for his mother when he was 12. He explains “My father was an artisan, who taught me how to make shoes. “He believes in the importance of passing on his knowledge to new generations. One of his most successful apprentices was his wife’s niece Sandra Choi. She is now chief designer of Jimmy Choo Limited. Choo sold the company in 2001 because he didn’t agree with plans to expand the ready-to-wear business. Sandra accepted a position at the new company. Jimmy Choo considered this a betrayal. He still doesn’t talk to either Sandra or Tamara Mellon.
EDUCATION
Jimmy Choo still believes in teaching. He is Ambassador for Footwear Education at the London College of Fashion Students regularly work with him at his workshop. And he’s setting up a shoemaking institute in Malaysia.
Finally, what shoes does the world’s greatest shoe designer wear? “I wear slippers at home. But I have three-inch-heels for going to clubs. English people are all taller than me.
http://www.jimmychoo.com/
