The Bite Magazine - issue 16

I n fashion, certain names hold more clout than others - espe- cially family eponyms like those of Missoni, Versace, Prada, Lauren, Fendi and Armani. Family owned and run empires of the ultra à la mode largely lead the masses with what’s in, what’s out, and what’s about to be the next best thing. Names like Choo, as in Jimmy Choo - the world famous maestro of shoe design - also carry this trend-making weight on his shoulders in the designer shoe world. His sculptural pieces of footwear are amazingly beauti- ful, show-stopping in their elegance and quality that the idea of someone actu- ally wearing them on anything but velvet carpets can send shudders up one’s spine. Similar to these other mega-chic fami- lies, Jimmy hails from a strong lineage of artists, as his father was a shoemaker in Penang, Malaysia and taught him the skills of cobbling at a very early age. Jimmy later moved to London to study at Cord- wainers Technical College in Hackney (now part of London College of Fashion since 1983), and that’s where this family tree really took root. After opening a small storefront of his own in 1986, it only took two short years for his brilliant designs to be noticed and then featured in an eight-page Vogue spread. This edi- torial captured the ever style-keen eye of the late Princess Diana, who after this point, would help launch Jimmy’s career to stellar heights, reaching the feet of royals, celebrities and socialites the world over. Mr. Choo stepped down from over- seeing the entire shoe brand in 2001, and focused his attention on the Jimmy Choo Couture line, while his founding partner, Tamara Mellon headed the other portion of the company until she too stepped down ten years later in 2011. However, not unlike the other famous design families, Jimmy has proven that the designer genes stays in the family, as his nieces, Sandra Choi and Lucy Choi have proudly followed in their uncle’s famously beautiful clad-footsteps by seeing the brand’s success into the next generation. Sandra Choi currently resides as the Cre- ative Director for Jimmy Choo Limited, while Lucy Choi decided to strike out on her own, using her business degree and the design skills she learned while shadowing her uncle to launch her own line, Lucy Choi London. Lucy Choi.What can be said about this vivacious, creative, seemingly unstop- pable powerhouse of the business and luxury shoe world? Is she fiercely driven? Extremely. Spunky and determined? Oh man, you bet. Choi is a petite firecracker with one focused plan of action, “bring- ing designer shoes for every occasion to the consumer at an affordable price point, without compromising on design, craftsmanship and comfort.” And while her plan was always to be an entrepre- neur in the fashion industry, she wanted to get there on her own, and decided to carve her own path rather than directly following in her uncle’s. Choi studied Business at Birmingham University, followed by an eight-year stint in the IT, financial and business world in London before she caved slightly and decided to move on to work for a shoe company, just not at her uncle’s. Arriv- ing at French Sole, who are known for their smart ballerina flats and pumps in 2002, Choi quickly rose in the ranks, and soon found herself titled as the brand’s Managing Director, where she helped their growth not only in the UK, but also internationally. Here, she was able to supervise every facet of the business, from their retail and online stores and wholesale to the brand’s marketing and PR needs. Each of these areas of the busi- ness aided in further educating Choi on how she would one day run and operate her own label. And that’s exactly what she did. After 10 fun and successful years at French Sole, Choi decided it was time to become the fashion industrialist she’d always dreamed of being, and launched her namesake brand, Lucy Choi London, in April 2012. In a recent interview with HELLO! Mag- azine, Choi shared, “I loved working for French Sole and it was hard to leave. But I realised I was either going to become a part of the furniture or I had to create something for myself.You only live once, so I went for it.” At the time of the busi- ness’s launch, Choi and her husband, financier Jonathan Gayland, had also just welcomed their first child, son Thomas, and to say things were a wee bit busy is a huge understatement. However, never one to back down from a challenge, or put her goal of developing a brand of affordable designer footwear on hold, Choi marched on with her plan. While working for French Sole, she noticed a gap in the shoe market. One could either spend a small fortune on expen- sive designer shoes, that really only a few people could truly afford, or spend a little on trendy pairs from high street stores and suffer from lower quality. Nowhere was there really a line of luxurious affordable shoes. In another interview, Choi told stye- barista.com , “I really wanted to launch a shoe brand known for its quality, comfort, design and price which is quite a rare mix. Our theme is ‘Rock and Royal’. Think of Kate Middleton and Kate Moss. They would all find something to their liking. Our shoes are stocked at Wolf and Badger Dover Street, Jaeger Regent Street, Matchesfashion, Fenwick and Harvey Nichols. They all cater to differ- ent customers, but what their customers all have in common is that they want this rare mix of quality, comfort, design and price. Women, who for example buy Prada or Manolo Blahnik, also buy our shoes. Shoes that you can wear every- where, not just shoes which you only wear a few times.” This response coincides with the ethos of the brand, which Choi calls the three C’s: character, comfort and craftsman- ship. “We follow the three C’s: shoes for every occasion and mood, from red carpet glamour to the poolside of St Tropez, our label cater for all tastes and attitudes, from rock star to royalty, hence the ethos behind the label ‘Rock & Royal’. Customers can relax knowing that the collection has been designed by women who know how a shoe needs to look, act and feel where style and comfort are paramount. Lucy Choi London is a bou- tique label which complements and mixes expertly with a woman’s luxury and high street wardrobe. Shopping for the perfect shoe no longer means scouring the high street or the luxury and online market places to find the perfect shoe. Lucy Choi London has done your think- ing for you.” So far thusly proven, Choi has therefore been able to cater to what really is the mass market demographic of women the world over with Lucy Choi London. She has delivered a shoe collec- tion that’s not only beautiful, elegant, chic and modern, but also something one can walk, work and dance in until 4am. Now that’s impressive. It’s now been four years since Choi began this venture, and to say she’s risen in the limelight as one of the new dar- lings of the shoe world is more than well founded. She has amassed a following of devoted fans from local Londoners to über glamorous celebrities, each raving about Lucy Choi’s amazing shoes! But, how can one intensely focused woman achieve so much and still manage to be a dedicated wife and mother you may ask? Well for one, it’s called being a true Girl Boss, and the other is having bite shoes