Jimmy Choo is about to turn 15 and to celebrate, the luxury footwear and accessories brand is launching a capsule collection, founding a charitable foundation focused on women’s issues and creating a coffee-table book that commemorates the company’s history so far.
Today, founder and chief creative officer, Tamara Mellon, will roll out the new Icons collection, a capsule line of 15 styles pulled from the Jimmy Choo archives. The styles represent a look back at the Jimmy Choo story, highlighting some of the memorable moments the brand has created such as the Feather, which Sarah Jessica Parker famously lost in an early episode of “Sex and the City”; Macy, a bestseller and red-carpet favorite most recently worn by Natalie Portman. And the Fleur, the stiletto pump worn by Mellon herself when she received her Order of the British Empire honor from Queen Elizabeth II last October. Some of the styles in the Icon collection remain exactly as they were when first introduced, while others have been tweaked or updated for the occasion.
“These are shoes that have a personal story for me, or resonate with the customer,” said Mellon. Ten percent of the net sales of Icons will be funneled into the new Jimmy Choo Foundation, which was set up in the U.K. earlier this year. Mellon said the foundation will raise money for women’s charities. “I want to tackle tough issues such as sexism, unequal pay, domestic violence and the sex slave trade,” she said. The shoes will be carried at Jimmy Choo stores only, and will launch for fall. Prices will range from $850 to $3,785.
The last project to mark the occasion is “Jimmy Choo XV” (Rizzoli), a mainly photographic book that relays the company’s history through 15 shoe styles. Colin McDowell has written the foreword and Mellon wrote the introduction. The book will be carried at Jimmy Choo stores starting in November, and 100 percent of sales will go toward the new foundation. Mellon seems particularly proud of the little company she started 15 years ago with then partner and namesake for the label, Jimmy Choo. “I feel like Jimmy Choo has found the right home now”, she noted “It takes at least 30 years for a luxury brand to mature, and you need a lot of nurturing and investment in that time. And we’re still only 15.”
-Alia Rajput
Article and Photo Source: WWD
