You probably know a thing or two about Jimmy Choo: Princess Diana was one of the brand's first clients; in the early 2000s it was canonized on Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw famously proclaimed, "Wait—I lost my Choo!" And since then, Choos have decorated the feet of everyone from First Lady Michelle Obama to Beyoncé to Duchess Catherine. Whew! But what you may not know is that these days there's a woman behind the brand: the diminutive and driven Sandra Choi, whose 20-year rise makes for a very convincing case study in delayed gratification (and proof that success doesn't always happen in an Insta-second). "There are no shortcuts to doing what I do," says the 43-year-old fashion exec. "You have to know your craft and respect the fundamentals of shoe design. It can't be borne purely out of creativity."
Choi should know: She was the company's first employee. Jimmy Choo, the brand's namesake and founder, is her aunt's husband; at 17, Choi, a "headstrong" teen with traditional Chinese parents, says she packed her bags and left her home on the Isle of Wight in England after her mom and dad refused to support her art-college dream. She rather fortuitously moved in with her aunt and Choo, who was then color-matching shoes to gowns for the likes of Princess Diana from his small, dusty workshop in London's East End. "When you're Chinese and living with family, you just do work with family," she says. "It's cultural. I was really into making things, and this world of fabrics, materials, and sewing machines was amazing to me." She briefly attended the prestigious fashion design school Central Saint Martins, but "I hardly went," she admits. "I was so into work, doing everything I could: running the organization of the business, dealing with customers...I just got involved."
Then, in 1996, Tamara Mellon, a glamorous London social figure, came on board and, with Choo and Choi, transformed the small mom-and-pop shop into a global empire. Practically overnight Jimmy Choo became synonymous with glitz, glamour, and those skyscraping heels. While Mellon served as the face and spokesperson for the brand, Choi "navigated how the collection should look," she says. In 2001 Choo left the brand; then, in 2011, Mellon departed as well. Of those dramatic twists and turns, Choi says: "You always have these moments in business. If I had let them defeat me, I wouldn't be here." She stepped up to the top design role—and propelled the company beyond its stiletto-only image. Today flat biker boots are among Choo's best-sellers, and style-conscious working women are just as likely to click to buy a snakeskin sneaker as a pom-pom-adorned heel. "I knew we could be broader than teetering stilettos," says Choi, who herself rocks an asymmetrical haircut and ear cuffs. "Jimmy Choo is very much about glamour, but the modern woman has choices. I love it when someone wears flats to a big event. That is daring!"
As for Choi's leadership style, "I think I'm firm and fair," she says. And she thinks her gender is an asset: "Professionally speaking, women tend to work harder because emotion comes into play," she says. "They have a natural urge to nurture, and that's a strength in business." For Choi, so are her other roles: wife to an artist husband and mother to two young daughters, Phoenix and Cyan (can we talk about those names?). "When I'm with my family, I become a mum and a wife," she says. Choi hopes her daughters one day pick up more than just her 600-pair-strong shoe collection—she wants them to learn her work ethic (which her grandparents instilled in her—she lived with them in Hong Kong from when she was eight months old to age 13). "I put it in very simple terms to my children," she says. "Knowledge is king, and when and if they find something hard, they shouldn't give up. Those are core values, and when they have those in place, they can do whatever they want."
Of course Choi has the perfect shoe to wear for any role. When she means business, she slips into towering Jimmy Choo Romy black suede pumps, but she's also been partial to gem-encrusted combat-style Hatcher boots. "I remember moments in life by the shoes I had on," she explains. "Like the first time I met my husband, I was wearing tan sandals with studs."
Would you expect anything else from the queen of Jimmy Choo? "I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," says Choi of her professional rise. "Having said that, I believe that tenacity and believing in yourself, combined with hard work, will reap rewards in the long term."
*Additional reporting by Alice Cavanagh
Stylist: Daniela Agnelli; hair: Kim Roy; makeup: Claire Louise Mazik.*
