Sandra Choi

Last updated

Sandra Choi is a British-Chinese businesswoman and fashion designer. She is the creative director of J. Choo Limited. She is the niece of Jimmy Choo's wife, Rebecca.

Contents

Background

Choi was born on the Isle of Wight and educated in Hong Kong before returning to London as a teenager to finish her secondary school education. During this time, Choi, who has been described in UK media as British Asian, [1] went to work with her uncle, Jimmy Choo, who was then a couture shoemaker based in the East End of London. Passionate about turning her apprenticeship into a career as a designer, Choi attended the prestigious Central St Martins School where she studied for a degree in Fashion Design whilst continuing work as Choo's protégé. At his side, Choi perfecting the art of creating couture shoes: designing, cutting patterns, stitching, fitting and constructing lasts. Enchanted by the business, Choi eventually abandoned her studies so that she could devote herself full-time to design and the management of the atelier.

Career

Choi was appointed Creative Director of J. Choo Limited at its inception in 1996, working in conjunction with Tamara Mellon OBE. [2] The company's first J. Choo Limited store was opened in 1996 on Motcomb Street in London complementing distribution in selected department stores. [3] [4]

With a strategy to expanding internationally, the company established a retail presence in the United States with its first store in New York City in 1998, followed by Los Angeles in 1999. Using the store's LA foothold to cater to Hollywood celebrities, Choi worked with celebrities and their stylists from a hotel atelier creating Jimmy Choo shoes for award show dressing. The red carpet proved to be the ideal runway for shoes and then handbags, as actresses including Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman all took their paces wearing Jimmy Choo.

Awards and recognitions

Accolades followed with J. Choo Limited awarded 2008 'Designer Brand of the Year' from the British Fashion Council, the 2008 ‘ACE Brand of the Year' from the Accessory Council and the 2008 'Brand of the Year' from Footwear News in New York. J. Choo Limited was bought by private equity group Equinox in 2001, who began a ten-year store opening programme which continued under the ownership of Lion Capital from 2004 and TowerBrook Capital Partners LP from 2007. In 2011, J. Choo Limited was acquired by Labelux, the fashion holdings arm of JAB Holdings, which was renamed JAB Luxury in July 2014.

Over the course of the various private equity transactions, Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon OBE left the company, with Sandra remaining Creative Director throughout. As her responsibilities increased, with the addition of bags, fragrances, eyewear and the launch of the men's business, Sandra was named Sole Creative Director in 2013.

In September 2019, Choi discussed the redesigned Jimmy Choo brand logo with media. [5] In January 2020, she collaborated with Kaia Gerber on a new combat-style boot with 15 percent of sales donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. [6]

Personal life

Choi is married to Tamburlaine Gorst, son of Conservative politician Sir John Michael Gorst. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thigh-high boots</span> Boots extending above the knee

Thigh-high boots, known also as thigh-length boots or simply thigh boots, are boots that extend above the knees to at least mid-thigh. Other terms for this footwear include over-the-knee boots (abbreviated OTK boots; the full term is also used for the boots for women and especially when cuffed. Lengths vary from reaching just over the knee to reaching almost to the crotch.

Juicy Couture is an American casualwear and dress clothing brand based in Arleta, Los Angeles, California. Best known for their iconic velour tracksuits which became a luxury staple in the 2000s, the company was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1997 and was later purchased by the Liz Claiborne fashion company in 2003. Juicy Couture has turned into a global seller with their signature velour tracksuits and other fashions that span clothing, denim, handbags, shoes, intimates, swimwear, fragrance, accessories, sunglasses, yoga and babywear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamara Mellon</span> British fashion entrepreneur (born 1967)

Tamara Mellon is a British fashion entrepreneur who co-founded the luxury footwear brand Jimmy Choo. Subsequently, Mellon founded her namesake luxury footwear brand, Tamara Mellon, with co-founder and CEO Jill Layfield and CDO Tania Spinelli in 2016.

Lady Kinvara Clare Rachel Balfour is an English creative director, producer, writer, and public speaker. She is the second daughter of Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour, and Lady Tessa Fitzalan-Howard. Balfour is a niece of the Duke of Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halston</span> American fashion designer (1932–1990)

Roy Halston Frowick, known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s.

Jimmy Choo is a British luxury fashion house specialising in shoes, handbags, accessories and fragrances. The company, J. Choo Limited, was founded in 1996 by Malaysian Chinese couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon. The brand claims to have been a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired in November 2017 by Michael Kors Holdings, now Capri Holdings.

Alessandra Facchinetti is an Italian fashion designer who is known for her work as creative director at Gucci (2004–2005), Valentino (2008–2010) and Tod's (2013–2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine (brand)</span> French fashion brand

Celine is a French luxury ready-to-wear and leather goods brand owned by the LVMH group since 1996. It was founded in 1945 by Céline Vipiana. Since November 2015, the headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification. Séverine Merle has been the Chief Executive Officer since April 2017.

Beatrix Ong MBE is a London-based British luxury fashion accessories designer, known for her 'classic with a twist' shoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Smith (milliner)</span>

Nick Smith is a British milliner, fashion designer, and socialite.

Ralph & Russo British fashion house

Ralph & Russo is a European, privately held company owned and founded by Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo. Ralph & Russo is a high fashion house that specializes in haute couture and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, and fashion accessories.

Versus (Versace) was a diffusion line of the Italian luxury fashion house Versace. It was founded in 1989 by Gianni Versace as a gift to his sister Donatella. The line was discontinued in 2005 but was relaunched by Donatella in 2009 with a capsule collection of accessories designed by British designer Christopher Kane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaia Gerber</span> American model (born 2001)

Kaia Jordan Gerber is an American model and actress. She is the daughter of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber. After starring in a series of ad campaigns for fashion brands since debuting at Fashion Week in 2017, Gerber won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. Gerber and her mother have worked together in campaigns for the Omega watch brand. Gerber is the first model born in the 2000s to achieve The Big Four of Vogue covers.

Julie de Libran is a French fashion designer. She has worked for leading fashion houses such as Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Prada and Louis Vuitton. She specializes in women’s fashion, celebrity and event dressing and made-to-measure. In May 2014 she was named the artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. In June 2019 she launched her own fashion line, Julie de Libran Paris, a women’s made-to-order couture collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamara Ralph</span> Australian-British fashion designer

Tamara Ralph is an Australian fashion designer who is the former Creative Director and co-founder of Ralph & Russo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Choo</span> Malaysian-born fashion designer (born 1948)

Datuk Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian fashion designer based in the United Kingdom. He co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd, which became known for its handmade women's shoes.The brand later became a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design is the first educational establishment of the Condé Nast Publications Ltd. set in the heart of London, UK.

Sarajane Hoare is a British fashion journalist, director, and stylist who, since the 1980s has worked for British Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar. She has been instrumental in developing the career of photographer Herb Ritts, shoe designer Tamara Mellon, and journalist Kate Phelan.

Alexander White is a British shoe designer who launched his eponymous footwear line in September 2014. His collections are distributed internationally, including such retailers as Barneys New York, Lane Crawford and Level Shoe District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Baginskiy</span> Fashion designer

Ruslan Volodymyrovych Baginskiy, is a Ukrainian headwear and accessory designer, a founder of the eponymous Ruslan Baginskiy brand. Ruslan is currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

References

  1. ↑ Ellie Pithers (14 January 2019). "Gemma Chan's Critics' Choice Gown Is Decidedly Dramatic". British Vogue. Sandra at Jimmy Choo is British-Asian. I like to support diversity and promote inclusivity in fashion whenever possible.
  2. ↑ Fiona McCarthy (September 7, 2019). "Jimmy Choo's Sandra Choi on her well-heeled garden". The Times .
  3. ↑ "Jimmy Choo's Tamara Mellon interview | British Vogue | British Vogue".
  4. ↑ "Jimmy Choo may change hands for £500m".
  5. ↑ Chumki Bharadwaj (September 6, 2019). "Scaling new heights". India Today.
  6. ↑ Anahita Moussavian; Nicole Zane (February 6, 2020). "Kaia Gerber's Jimmy Choos, Rihanna's pop-up and other spring essentials". New York Post .
  7. ↑ Lisa Armstrong (6 December 2017). "Sole mates: At home with Jimmy Choo's Sandra Choi and husband Tamburlaine Gorst". The Daily Telegraph .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.