Reasons Why Jimmy Choo, And Not Tamara Mellon, Got The Credit
Co-founder of Jimmy Choo says she never received a single sketch from him during the years they worked together. Various sources have now risen to Dato' Jimmy's defence.
By Melody Oei — 04 Oct 2013, 01:10 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Tamara Mellon "built the brand but didn't get the credit, here's why - sour grapes."
When Jimmy Choo became a spectacular success, poor Mellon didn’t get the credit. Choo did. The reason is simple: he provided the kind of charming and almost fairy tale-like back story that the media and public love.
thestar.com.my
Here was a guy from the exotic East, (Penang to be precise) and a shoemaker’s son. After graduating from Cordwainers Technical College in London in 1983, he set up shop in unfashionable East London.
thestar.com.myChoo was also shoemaker to Princess Diana, then the world’s most watched fashionista, which was only revealed after her death in 1997. That revelation lent even more glamour and romance to his name.
Mellon’s own story isn’t so charming: a drug addiction that got her fired from her job as accessories editor at Vogue magazine, an affairs-filled marriage to & acrimonious divorce from Matthew Mellon whom she met at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
thestar.com.myCo-founder of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon, says she never received a single sketch from him during the years they worked together
"The original idea was for Jimmy to design the collection and I would run the operations of the business."
Unaware of Mr Choo's lack of design nous when they joined forces, she said that she had to quickly hone her skills and use experience from her fashion writing days to guide her.
dailymail.co.uk
"But it soon became very clear that Jimmy's skill was in making shoes. He's a cobbler."
Ms Mellon said from there her relationship with Mr Choo deteriorated to the point that any conversation was 'out of the question'.
Tamara reveals in her new memoir "In My Shoes" how she turned to Jimmy Choo's niece, Sandra Choi for help
While she would come up with the ideas, Ms Choi would sketch them out and the two of them would go to vintage stores along Portobello Road in London, to look for inspiration.
dailymail.co.uk“There I was coming into the office every day trying to do the best job I could, and I didn’t realise there was this campaign going on behind my back – of gossip, petty gossip to try and diminish me."
Mellon paints him in the book in an unflattering light, claiming he resented her high profile as Jimmy Choo’s glamorous creative chief.
Tamara's creations became a hit but it was Jimmy Choo who went on to gain global recognition
Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian Chinese fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom.
Image via telegraph.co.uk
Tamara Mellon is the former Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of Jimmy Choo.
Image via wordpress.comNoting her increasing bitterness about the situation, she writes in another part of her book: 'By the end of 2000, Jimmy Choo was turning a profit of around £3 million a year.
style.comJimmy Choo, real name Choo Yeang Keat, was born in Penang into a family of shoemakers
Jimmy Choo, real name Choo Yeang Keat, was born in Penang into a family of shoemakers.
Image via nst.com.my
Jimmy Choo, real name Choo Yeang Keat, was born in Penang into a family of shoemakers.
Image via telegraph.co.ukJimmy's family name is Chow but was misspelled on his birth certificate as Choo. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old.
biography.com
As co-founder of the Jimmy Choo Company, Tamara secured funding from her father and sourced factories in Italy
Tamara Mellon was previously an accessories editor for British Vogue in 1990, she approached bespoke shoe-maker Mr Jimmy Choo with the idea of launching a ready-to-wear shoe company.
nytimes.comAs co-founder of the Jimmy Choo Company, Tamara secured funding from her father, for the creation of her business and sourced factories in Italy.
glossytimes.com
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