Behind the Jimmy Choo label are two women - Tamara Yeardye formerly of Vogue who founded the company in 1996 and Sandra Choi Jimmy Choo's Niece, Creative Director and designer of Jimmy Choo shoes.

When Madonna sought the perfect shoes for her wedding and the Bush twins wondered what to wear to the Inaugural Ball, they all relied on the same brand to anchor them on their most important day: Jimmy Choo.

Avant-garde designs make Jimmy Choo shoes the preferred footwear for celebrities and fashion aficionados. On TV and in the fashion world, they are simple called "Jimmy's," which gives an idea how much these shoes have saturated our culture club.

Jimmy Choo's strict distribution of its range means that the collection is available only through high-end department stores and specialty boutiques. If the profile of the major stores does not meet the required standard then requests for stock are refused. A clever but risky strategy, especially when you consider that the company has only been established for a relatively short period of time.

Jimmy Choo boutiques are designed as couture saloons situated only in prime locations: London, New York, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas.

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Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1961 into a family of shoemakers. He made his first shoe when he was only 11 years old. He attended Cordwainers's Technical College in London.

All of the Jimmy Choo shoes are hand-made; his obsessive craftsmanship is displayed in their simple details. They are never blatantly stylish yet they are equal in sophistication to the designer clothes they are usually worn with.

His style is pleasing to the eye, feminine, and sexy. Jimmy Choos were favored by the Princess of Wales, who would buy one style in several colors for eveningwear and to harmonize with her day suits. Jimmy Choo lost count of the number of shoes he made for Princess Diana. After her separation with Prince Charles, she could frequently be seen in his delicate high-heeled shoes, a style that she could not wear when walking with her shorter husband.

Jimmy Choo is no longer connected with the shoe-designing house, which he founded. In 1996, he had sold 50 % interest in his company to Tamara Yeardye, former UK Vogue accessories editor. She and Choo's niece Sandra Choi then launched the ready-to-wear line. Jimmy Choo was then a partner but was not involved in running the business.

Tamara Yeardye has led the company to grow in size and reputation. She has now bought out Jimmy Choo completely, for about $ 30 million.