Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian born fashion designer based out of the United Kingdom. In 1996, he started Jimmy Choo Ltd. which is a luxury fashion brand with a primary focus on producing shoes, handbags, fragrances and other small accessories. The London based subsidiary of JAB Holdings now has over 500 employees and just announced that they plan to go public later this year.
The company began to receive tons of acknowledgment on different television shows which helped increase the company’s popularity. Their first big mention came in 1999 on Sex And The City when the main character, Carrie Bradshaw, loses a shoe and shouts “I lost my Choo!”. Jimmy Choo Ltd. was also featured in the 2006 hit movie, The Devil Wears Prada, as well as being mentioned by Kanye West in the song “The Blame Game”.
Jimmy Choo Ltd. products have won numerous awards including the British Fashion Council award for an entire designer brand and another for their accessories back in 2008. Four years ago in 2010 the company was voted by OK Magazine as being the most desired brand in Britain, even beating out household giants such as Louis Vuitton.
Jimmy Choo Ltd. now operates over 100 stores throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and even Africa. Their decision to go public displays that the company is still growing and now has enough popularity to continue its expansion. The parent company, JAB Holdings, announced that they are looking to sell 25% of Jimmy Choo Ltd. at the very least and are hoping to be listed on the stock market by October (next month). They are hoping to receive a valuation of around $1 billion despite the recent struggle of other luxury brands within the industry.
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