NICK ATKINSON CAUGHT UP WITH INTERNATIONAL SHOE DESIGNER AND NATIONAL TREASURE, PROF. DATO’ DR JIMMY CHOO, OBE, WHO TOOK SOME TIME OUT OF HIS HECTIC SCHEDULE TO REFLECT ON HIS CAREER AND HIS LIFE SO FAR. HERE, IN HIS OWN WORDS, HE SAYS…

“As a youngster, I would watch my father and Granddad creating shoes. My father told me, ‘If you can learn some skills, you will never have to fret that you cannot get a job.’ He instilled in me that you have to be passionate; nobody is born good at this or that, but if you are willing to learn, you can definitely do it.

You’d never think the first Jimmy Choo shoe was a sandal. After moving to London at a young age I remember going to the Elephant & Castle and Whitechapel markets. They were selling sandals. When I went back to the factory and spoke to my father we decided that this was the way ahead; not just a runof-the-mill sandal, but one that focused on comfort. Anyone can make a shoe, but how do you put the pattern in the right position to hold your foot nicely and look great? That requires knowledge and artistic talent. I started selling my sandals to the market stalls, and the rest is history.

As a designer, my eyes are always open. When I am walking around or visiting, there are always new things to see. Even what the customer is wearing will give me ideas, and I can honestly say that my inspiration comes from everywhere. Think of Chinese food; chicken, vegetable, fish and other things all come together as the ingredients for what you eat. It is the same with my designs; everything comes together.

I feel very blessed that so many people from all walks of life wear my shoes. Every nation is a good friend and a good customer because they admire what I do and want me to design something for them; I can’t help but appreciate it. It is very important to me to have an appreciation of everything that has helped make me successful. I don’t believe there is enough appreciation in the world.

Even the smallest thing is worth saying thank you for. It is why I have been working with the British Council now for over ten years. They asked me to travel around the world promoting education and I said yes as it is a wonderful opportunity to visit new places and make new friends in areas where they may know my name but have never had the chance to see me. I am only too happy to share myself and my skill. It all comes back to appreciating what I have achieved and sharing it with those who are now in my life.

One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t spend enough time with my children when they were young. I was always working, working; everything was about making shoes and although the money was there to give them whatever they needed, it was not the same. I regret that. The young don’t think like us anymore and even the way they talk is not how we talked when we were younger. If you want children to be good you must spend a certain time with them and you must understand them.

In London I have been working with a lot of youngsters who want to develop their skills in the shoe trade. I am a tough teacher; I insist on them being good and working hard. It is my name that they may one day represent so they must understand that in this profession it is all or nothing. It gives me great satisfaction when my students succeed.

I am still learning. I am still working and to be honest I still have so much more to do. People say ‘oh you have all that money now, you can go shopping every day’ but I just want to keep creating shoes. I want to design shoes and I want to train young people to learn my skills. That’s who I am. I have to remember my Chinese heritage: you never say you are the best as you never know what tomorrow will bring. I am happy with where I am now but I know that there are still places to go and things to do.

2012 is going to be an interesting year for me and I can’t wait to see what develops for Jimmy Choo.”

For the full interview, see the May-June issue of Senses of Malaysia.

Source: The Expat May 2012 Issue

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This article has been edited for ExpatGoMalaysia.com