Jimmy Choo at the graduation show of students of JCA London Fashion Academy, the design and business program he founded in 2021.
Dave Bennett | JCA London Fashion Academy | Getty Images
From British royalty to Hollywood stars, Jimmy Choo luxury shoes have been worn by countless celebrities on red carpets around the world.
Now Choo is helping the next generation of fashion designers follow in his footsteps by opening one online store sells clothes and accessories made by students and graduates of its JCA London Fashion Academy design program.
“My father always told me, if you have knowledge and skills, if you pass on your heritage, then the younger generation [can have] all skills and knowledge as well,” he told CNBC. Choo was born in Malaysia, where his father taught him how to make shoes by hand.
Choo opened the academy in 2021, offering students a bachelor’s or master’s degree in entrepreneurship in brand design and innovation — with business as a core part of the program.
“It is very important… [help] they’re starting a business to see how to sell,” Choo told CNBC.
Students learn about marketing and PR and write business plans with the goal of starting their own “micro” fashion company after graduation, according to the description on academy website.
“Even the most talented fashion designers will fail if they lack business acumen,” Choo said in a press release.
JCA London Fashion Academy designer Olivia Black’s collection, “War on the Environment,” aims to highlight the “battle” that must be fought to combat sustainability issues, Black told CNBC. A model is pictured wearing one of Black’s pieces at a fashion show on November 28, 2024.
Dave Bennett | JCA London Fashion Academy | Getty Images
The academy also opened a temporary physical location — the JCA Retail Gallery — on the ground floor of the upscale White City Living neighborhood in west London, where student collections were displayed and sold last week.
“The idea of starting this was to give [students] a platform to sell their work without paying fees over what you would normally pay [rent a] retail [store] and give them that opportunity to speak to the general public,” said Olivia Black, one of the academy’s graduates and co-curator of the JCA Retail Gallery. The retail space was donated to the academy by real estate firm Berkeley Group.
Black said Choo gave feedback on her eponymous fashion label during its creation, advising her to develop the idea of her brand’s motif — the eagle. “He always says, focus on something that makes the garment really special,” Black said.
Sustainability is a focus for students. Many garments were produced from second-hand fabrics, while some were made modular with zippers or bows that allowed sleeves or legs to be added or removed for different occasions. Choo suggested that designers could use leftovers from the production of luxury garments to create more affordable pieces.
JCA London Fashion Academy graduate Eleanor Hunter named her brand “Average George”, after her grandfather, a WWII spy. A model wears one of Hunter’s pieces at a fashion show on November 28, 2024.
Dave Bennett | JCA London Fashion Academy | Getty Images
Last year, McKinsey predicted that generative artificial intelligence could add between $150 billion and $275 billion in operating profit for the fashion and luxury sector by 2026. What does Choo think about artificial intelligence and its effect on the fashion industry? He said artificial intelligence is useful for student exercises or translating Chinese characters, but warned it shouldn’t be used for everything.
“Because people can see — if you use AI, everything will turn out the same,” he said. “You can use [it] as a guideline, but not 100% take and do everything. Otherwise, you’ve lost your skill,” Choo said.
Choo studied at London’s Cordwainers College of Shoemakers in the early 1980s, and made shoes for a show at London Fashion Week later that decade. Vogue reporter Kate Phelan saw his design and called him, saying “Jimmy…we want those shoes,” Choo told CNBC. The magazine ran a multi-page article about his shoes, and Choo found a customer in Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s.
Choo sold his 50% stake in the shoe business of the same name when the company was valued at £21 million in 2001 and the brand is now owned Capri Holdingswhich was bought by ua A contract worth 1.35 billion dollars in 2017.
