Vogue India July 2016

(Steven Felgate) #1

view


IF THE


CHOO FITS


EXCLUSIVE
Hollywood and fashion have always
been natural bedfellows but it’s only
recently that a brand’s positioning in
pop culture is being used as a yardstick
to cement its relevance: Has it been on
a cult television show? Has it been
name-dropped by a rapper in a Bill-
board-topping song? Has it received
celebrity approval on the red carpet?
Has it made its way to a popular chil-
dren’s nursery rhyme?
Brit shoe brand Jimmy Choo can
check yes to all of the above. Sarah Jes-
sica Parker squealed about losing her
Choo in Sex And The City in 1999; rap-
per Fetty Wap dedicated a song in
their honour; every stylista worth her
salt, from Natalie Portman to the
Duchess of Cambridge, has glided onto
the red carpet in their designs; and in
This Little Piggy Went To Prada, a
modern-day nursery rhyme about ‘an
old woman who lived in her Choos’ has
captivated the next generation of fash-
ion followers.
It’s been an eventful 20 years for the
brand that was founded by famed cob-
bler Jimmy Choo, taken to new heights
by Tamara Mellon, and now for the
last few years has been in the capable
hands of Choo’s niece, Sandra Choi,
who started her career at the label at
age 19. Here’s what she had to say
about them turning 20, social media
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winning at the moment.

Why do you think Jimmy Choo
has had such an impact on
popular culture?
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brands for shoes...and we’ve always
been a celebratory brand. The ‘I lost
my Choo’ episode of Sex And The City
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was a global phenomenon and gener-
ated awareness that is remembered to
this day. Also, Jimmy Choo being men-
tioned in the opening montage at last
year’s Oscar ceremony was amazing.
We have been travelling to LA to dress
celebrities since 2000, but to be men-
tioned in the opening monologue...
I’m still pinching myself.

Clearly, celebrities
have played a huge role
in Jimmy Choo’s
popularity since the

618
Choos have walked the
red carpet at major award
ceremonies over the last 20 years

1996
Red carpet debut
courtesy the late
Princess Diana

19
The age at which
Sandra Choi, the
niece of founder
Jimmy Choo,
started working
at the label

“Flats can be just as empowering as
heels,” says SANDRA CHOI.
A startling admission from the
creative director of a label that’s
synonymous with heels. But
gauging what women want has kept
Jimmy Choo in the spotlight for
20 years. By PRIYANKA KHANNA

The limited-edition
‘Memento’ shoe trunk
that will be sold with
20 red-carpet styles to
celebrate this milestone

Cover star
Kareena
Kapoor
Khan and
Sandra Choi
in London

152 VOGUE INDIA JULY 2016 http://www.vogue.in


Princess Diana
at a gala dinner
in Chicago

PHOTO: RICHARD RAMOS. ON KAREENA: SEQUINNED DRESS, MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION. CROPPED LEATHER JACKET, BALMAIN. NECKLACE

, 5 OCTOBR

E

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