Who Is Jimmy Choo? The Shoemaker, the Brand and Who Owns It Now
Who Is Jimmy Choo? The Shoemaker, the Brand and Who Owns It Now
Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian-born shoemaker, Choo Yeang Keat, and the London fashion house that carries his name, founded in May 1996 by Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon. Since 1 November 2017 the house has been owned by Capri Holdings, and its creative director since 2013 has been Sandra Choi. You can shop the current collection on the Jimmy Choo brand page, browse the designer shoes edit and read our guide to Jimmy Choo shoes for every style in stock.
Key Facts
- Jimmy Choo, the man: Choo Yeang Keat, born 15 November 1948 in Penang, Malaysia.
- Trained at Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, London, from 1982 to 1984.
- Jimmy Choo Ltd was founded in London in May 1996 by Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon.
- Sandra Choi has been sole creative director since 2013.
- Capri Holdings completed its acquisition on 1 November 2017, in a deal valued at about GBP 896 million.
- Coveti stocks 860 Jimmy Choo pieces, including 453 pairs of shoes and 261 bags.
Who is Jimmy Choo, the shoemaker?
Jimmy Choo was born Choo Yeang Keat on 15 November 1948 in Penang, Malaysia, in the Bukit Mertajam area. He came to London to study and enrolled at Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, East London. He studied there from 1982 to 1984.
In 1986 he opened his first shop in the old Metropolitan Hospital on Kingsland Road, East London, making shoes by hand for private clients. Two years later, after London Fashion Week 1988, British Vogue gave his shoes an eight-page feature. That spread moved him from a local cobbler’s bench to the attention of the fashion press.
Diana, Princess of Wales was among his early clients in the early 1990s, as has been widely reported and as Choo himself has said. In 2002 he was appointed OBE.
From couture workshop to fashion house
The ready-to-wear company came later. In May 1996 Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon, then accessories editor at British Vogue, founded Jimmy Choo Ltd in London. Mellon came from the magazine world; Choo came from the workbench. Sandra Choi, a relative of Jimmy Choo by marriage, joined at the very start in 1996.
Who founded Jimmy Choo?
The house had two founders: Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon. It is worth separating the two stories, because the name on the label belongs to the man, while the business that grew into a global brand was built by the partnership. In April 2001 Jimmy Choo sold his 50% stake in the company, reported at GBP 10 million. Afterwards he focused on a separate couture line under licence, and he has not designed the ready-to-wear collection since.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Choo Yeang Keat born in Penang, Malaysia, on 15 November |
| 1982 to 1984 | Studies at Cordwainers Technical College, Hackney |
| 1986 | Opens his first shop on Kingsland Road, East London |
| 1988 | Eight-page British Vogue feature after London Fashion Week |
| 1996 | Jimmy Choo Ltd founded in May with Tamara Mellon; Sandra Choi joins |
| 2001 | Jimmy Choo sells his 50% stake in April |
| 2002 | Jimmy Choo appointed OBE |
| 2013 | Sandra Choi becomes sole creative director |
| 2017 | Capri Holdings (then Michael Kors Holdings) completes acquisition on 1 November |
Who owns Jimmy Choo now?
Jimmy Choo is owned by Capri Holdings. The group, then called Michael Kors Holdings, completed the acquisition on 1 November 2017 in a deal valued at about GBP 896 million. Capri also owns Michael Kors. The house is still headquartered in London, and Wikidata describes it as a British high fashion house.
So when people ask whether Jimmy Choo still owns Jimmy Choo, the answer is no. He left the business in 2001, more than fifteen years before the Capri deal.
Who designs Jimmy Choo today?
Sandra Choi. She has been at the house since 1996 and sole creative director since 2013, which makes her the longest continuous design voice in the company’s history. The autumn winter 2026/27 shoes on Coveti are her work: 97 of the shoes we stock are tagged Fall Winter 2026, set against a core range that runs season to season.
Her signatures are easy to spot in the current range. The Love 85 Pumps in black patent leather carry the JC emblem at the heel. The Saeda 100 Pumps in ivory and crystal satin add a crystal chain. For flat days, the Margot Flat in black suede has a JC monogram at the heel, and the Bon Bon Bucket Bag in chai and light gold shows how far the house has moved beyond shoes.
Why is Jimmy Choo famous?
Sex and the City
Television did a great deal for the name. Jimmy Choo is mentioned in season 1 of Sex and the City in 1998. In season 3, Carrie Bradshaw loses a shoe running for the Staten Island Ferry and says “I lost my Choo!” The line turned a London label into shorthand for the luxury heel in American pop culture.
Cinderella, 2015
For Disney’s live-action Cinderella in 2015, starring Lily James, Disney asked nine shoe brands, Jimmy Choo among them, to reimagine the glass slipper. The designs were unveiled at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2015, and a limited number were sold at Harrods. Sandra Choi spoke about the Swarovski-crystal Cinderella shoe she made. Today the house describes its crystal-covered pumps, such as the Alia Pumps in crystal shimmer suede, as a shoe of fairy tales. Our Jimmy Choo Cinderella shoes guide covers that story in full.
A London house with an Italian workshop
Most Jimmy Choo shoes are made in Italy. Of the 437 shoes in our catalog that state a country, 363 are made in Italy; some sneakers come from Vietnam and some espadrille-style wedges and flats from Spain.
What does Jimmy Choo make?
Shoes first. Coveti’s 860 Jimmy Choo pieces include 453 shoes: 131 heels, 125 sandals, 59 boots, 46 flats, 39 sneakers, 37 mules, 15 loafers and one slide. There are also 261 bags, 69 pairs of sunglasses and 45 jewellery pieces, plus belts, wallets, hair accessories and scarves. For the heel line alone, our Jimmy Choo heels guide sorts every style by height, and the is Jimmy Choo a luxury brand explainer covers price and craft.
Editor’s note: the Love pump is the shoe I send first-time buyers to, because it shows the house at its plainest and best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jimmy Choo?
Jimmy Choo is Choo Yeang Keat, a shoemaker born on 15 November 1948 in Penang, Malaysia, who trained at Cordwainers Technical College in London. His name is also the label of the London fashion house he co-founded in May 1996 with Tamara Mellon.
Who owns Jimmy Choo?
Capri Holdings owns Jimmy Choo. The group, then Michael Kors Holdings, completed the acquisition on 1 November 2017 in a deal valued at about GBP 896 million, and it also owns Michael Kors.
Does Jimmy Choo still design for the brand?
No. Jimmy Choo sold his 50% stake in April 2001 and afterwards focused on a separate couture line under licence. Sandra Choi has been sole creative director of the house since 2013.
Who is Sandra Choi?
Sandra Choi is the creative director of Jimmy Choo. She is a relative of Jimmy Choo by marriage, joined the house at its start in 1996 and has led design alone since 2013.
Is Jimmy Choo British?
Yes. Jimmy Choo is a British fashion house, founded in London in 1996 and still headquartered there. Its founder was born in Malaysia, and most of its shoes are made in Italy.
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