Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo is a British luxury footwear and accessories house, founded in London in 1996, best known for pointed-toe stiletto pumps and red-carpet glamour. It is the label people reach for when an invitation turns formal, and it has held that corner of occasion footwear since the start. While other houses chase everyday trainers or quiet loafers, Jimmy Choo stays close to the evening shoe: a pointed toe, a fine heel, and often a crystal finish.

Behind the brand

Jimmy Choo began in 1996 as a partnership between the Malaysian couturier Jimmy Choo, born Zhou Yang Jie in Penang, and Tamara Mellon, then an accessories editor at Vogue. The first store opened on Motcomb Street in London. The pairing put couture shoemaking next to an editor’s eye for what would land in a magazine and on a foot.

Neither founder is still involved. Jimmy Choo left the company in 2001, and Tamara Mellon later left too. The house has changed hands more than once, and in 2017 it was acquired by the group that was renamed Capri Holdings in 2018. The name now stands for the house rather than the man.

The shoes

The pointed-toe pump sits at the center of the brand. The Romy, launched in 2016, became a signature almost at once, and the Anouk is another pointed-toe pump and a red-carpet staple. The design does specific work: a pointed toe lengthens the line of the leg, a fine heel lifts the posture, and a crystal finish catches the light. The house is closely tied to crystal-embellished evening heels and to the red-carpet stiletto as a category.

Red-carpet reputation

Jimmy Choo built its name on the red carpet. Princess Diana wore the brand in the 1990s, and celebrities have kept it on step-and-repeats and awards stages ever since. The evening and bridal collections hold that association, and a Jimmy Choo stiletto is the shoe many people reach for when a dress code turns formal. That role is where its place in luxury footwear rests.

Beyond shoes

Footwear started the house, and the range now runs into handbags, small leather goods, eyewear, and fragrance, across women’s and men’s lines. A crystal-embellished heel pairs naturally with a clean evening clutch, and our guide to the best clutches covers that side of the outfit.

Where it sits

Jimmy Choo keeps company with the other named-designer heel houses, sharing the occasion-footwear conversation with Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik. Each has its own handwriting. Louboutin has the red sole, Manolo Blahnik the sculptural heel, and Jimmy Choo the pointed toe and the crystal finish.