{"id":3228,"date":"2019-01-09T12:43:03","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T04:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/?p=3228"},"modified":"2026-02-20T06:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T06:40:13","slug":"influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The more I researched for my interview with Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, the more I realised how little I knew about the man behind the iconic Jimmy Choo brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know for example, that Choo sold his stake in Jimmy Choo Ltd back in 2001? After his departure, the brand which Choo co-founded with British Vogue\u2019s <\/em>Tamara Mellon took a route more focused on mass production, while Choo shifted his focus to the exclusive \u2018Jimmy Choo Couture\u2019 line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life after the Jimmy Choo brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These days Choo is primarily based in Kuala Lumpur and still very much involved in the world of fashion and design. He makes shoes for friends, family and a privileged few under his Chinese name, \u201cZhou Yang Jie.\u201d Choo was recently invited to Bangkok where he presented Her Majesty Queen Sirikit with a pair of handcrafted shoes which will be put on exhibition inside the Grand Palace at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is heavily invested in education, charity work and promoting his birth country, Malaysia. And he collaborates on a number of other lines including The Atelier, a wedding dress and evening gown company of which he is creative director and works on alongside his designer nephew, Yew Lau. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to help create more talented designers through focusing on education\u201d he tells me when we meet in mid-December at the Kowloon Shangri-La. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed Choo\u2019s success isn\u2019t without struggle and sacrifice. \u201cI didn\u2019t come from a rich family, my father wasn\u2019t rich so I had to do everything myself. London is so expensive, when you start a business you have to do what you can, that can include making cheaper shoes, or selling on the markets. I\u2019m strong and I never give up. If I didn\u2019t carry on then you wouldn\u2019t see me here today and be able to interview me.\u201d He smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jimmy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why mentorship matters in fashion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

His humble roots are perhaps, in part what have helped him persevere where others have given up, and his background has certainly influenced his path into education. \u201cYoung designers need more than just hard work to succeed in today\u2019s fashion industry, they need a good idea, creativity and skill. Just working hard is no good.\u201d Choo emphasises the importance of mentorship within the fashion industry saying, \u201cIt\u2019s common; Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, they all studied under a mentor.\u201d Choo goes on to mention Taiwanese accessories designer Iliza Ho whom he mentored for seven years and just recently won Best Accessories Designer of the Year Award at the 2018 Malaysia Fashion Week \u201cWhen I see the people who I train and support doing well, I am very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s this work ethic, combined with his endearing character and incomparable knowledge of shoe design that have made him such a highly-regarded household name. His client list includes Madonna and former US First Lady Michelle Obama. He recalls, \u201cPatsy Kensit and Elaine Paige supported me when I first started. I\u2019ve also made shoes for many high-level politicians and Hollywood stars including Katie Holmes, all these people are important to me because when they support me, they support my team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all of the shoes he has designed, Choo is most proud of the pair he designed for Princess Diana just before she died. \u201cShe passed away on August 31, I had made an appointment with her PA and I was supposed to give her the shoes, but I didn\u2019t get the chance. After she died, people wanted to buy the shoes to use them in an exhibition, I asked them, \u2018Why? To make money?\u2019 I will always keep this pair of shoes because she always supported me, wherever she travelled she would call me for the shoes, so I give thanks to her for allowing me to make shoes for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choo has an incomprehensible knowledge, not to mention charm, charisma, and an infectious energy. \u201cI\u2019m not old,\u201d he tells me, \u201cI don\u2019t feel old. In Malaysia, our Prime Minister [Mahathir Bin Mohamad] is 93 years old, most people want to relax at that age. People can live to over 100 years old, but it depends how strong the mind is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my time with Choo draws to a close, I ask the widely-reported Buddhist for some advice on life \u201cTry to be humble.\u201d he says, \u201cBe nice to people and it\u2019s so important not to lose your temper, because at the end of the day you\u2019ll only be upsetting yourself.\u201d Such wise advice that will do nicely as I set my own goals for 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fashion juggernaut talks everything from designing high heels for high society to connecting with a higher being<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7507],"tags":[151,257,258],"class_list":["post-3228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-hong-kong","tag-jimmy-choo","tag-jimmy-choo-shoes"],"yoast_head":"\nProfessor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hong Kong Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gemma Shaw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gemma Shaw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gemma Shaw\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db\"},\"headline\":\"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":787,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Hong Hong\",\"jimmy choo\",\"jimmy choo shoes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/\",\"name\":\"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db\"},\"description\":\"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Jimmy Choo\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hong Kong Living\",\"description\":\"Hong Kong Living - trusted media for Hong Kong Expats\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db\",\"name\":\"Gemma Shaw\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gemma Shaw\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hongkongliving.com\\\/author\\\/gemma-shaw\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living","description":"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living","og_description":"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.","og_url":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/","og_site_name":"Hong Kong Living","article_published_time":"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"http:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gemma Shaw","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gemma Shaw","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/"},"author":{"name":"Gemma Shaw","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db"},"headline":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand","datePublished":"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/"},"wordCount":787,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg","keywords":["Hong Hong","jimmy choo","jimmy choo shoes"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/","url":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/","name":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand - Hong Kong Living","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg","datePublished":"2019-01-09T04:43:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T06:40:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db"},"description":"Professor Jimmy Choo reflects on life after the Jimmy Choo brand, couture craftsmanship and mentoring the next generation of designers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PROF-JIMMY-CHOO-20184.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Jimmy Choo"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/influencers-jimmy-choo-fashion-interview\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Professor Jimmy Choo on couture, craft and life beyond the rand"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/","name":"Hong Kong Living","description":"Hong Kong Living - trusted media for Hong Kong Expats","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4c3ce2d0828d210e7929a39b015725db","name":"Gemma Shaw","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c25ca0b89f257b485672910b47c37843612a9961c7f30f000acd807a62737bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gemma Shaw"},"url":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/author\/gemma-shaw\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64334,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3228\/revisions\/64334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}