Celebrating 30 Years of Jimmy Choo
Three Decades of Glamour, Iconic Heels & Unforgettable Fragrances
A pair of perfectly crafted heels, a sparkling evening bag, or a fragrance that turns heads before you've even said hello. For three decades, Jimmy Choo has understood that the right accessory can completely transform how you feel.
Since its founding, the luxury fashion house quickly became synonymous with red-carpet glamour, celebrity style, and the kind of shoes people dream about owning. Along the way, it became a pop culture icon, expanded into handbags and accessories, and introduced a fragrance collection that brought its signature confidence to an entirely new audience.
In celebration of Jimmy Choo's 30th anniversary, we're looking back at the shoes, unforgettable fashion moments, and bestselling perfumes that built a legacy that extends far beyond footwear.
The Beginning
Before 1996 — The Shoemaker Behind the Name
Long before Jimmy Choo became a global luxury brand, there was Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat, a Malaysian-born shoemaker with an extraordinary talent for craftsmanship.
Born into a family of shoemakers, Choo learned the art of making shoes at a young age. His passion eventually brought him to London, where he studied footwear design and began building a reputation for beautifully handcrafted shoes.
During the 1980s, he established his own workshop in East London, creating bespoke footwear for private clients with immense attention to even the smallest details. His designs combined traditional shoemaking techniques with an elegant, distinctly feminine sensibility.
Before long, Jimmy Choo would attract the attention of British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon, who would recognize the potential to transform Choo's bespoke shoemaking reputation into an international luxury label.
1996 — The Birth of J. Choo
In 1996, Mellon partnered with Choo to establish J. Choo Limited. The vision was ambitious: bring the elegance and craftsmanship of custom-made shoes to a fashionable ready-to-wear collection.
Together, they developed a distinctive approach to women's footwear. These weren't simply practical shoes or accessories designed to match an outfit - Jimmy Choo heels were designed to be the moment.
Later that year, Jimmy Choo opened its first boutique on London's Motcomb Street.
Before influencers, viral fashion moments, and social media campaigns, there was Princess Diana.
Already celebrated as one of the world's most influential style icons, Diana had been wearing custom-made shoes by Jimmy Choo since the early 1990s. But one particular appearance would become an unforgettable moment in the brand's history.
1997 — Princess Diana Makes Jimmy Choo Royalty
In June 1997, Princess Diana attended a performance of Swan Lake wearing a shimmering powder-blue Catherine Walker dress paired with pale-blue satin Jimmy Choo slingbacks, specially created to complement the outfit.
The look became one of Diana's most memorable fashion moments. For Jimmy Choo, the appearance helped introduce the label to a much wider international audience.
And if the shoes were fit for a princess, it wasn't long before Hollywood wanted a pair, too. By 1998, the brand had expanded to Madison Avenue in New York and Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.
2000 — Carrie Bradshaw Turns Jimmy Choo Into a Pop Culture Icon
In the third-season premiere of HBO's Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw famously loses one of her beloved Jimmy Choo heels while rushing to catch the Staten Island Ferry.
Her reaction? "I lost my Choo!"
It was a brief television moment with an enormous cultural impact. Suddenly, Jimmy Choo wasn't just a name familiar to fashion editors and celebrities. Carrie brought the brand into living rooms everywhere - it was part of the pop culture conversation.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sex and the City was transforming the relationship between fashion and television.
For a generation of viewers, owning a pair of Jimmy Choos represented something bigger than footwear. It meant embracing a little luxury, romance, and main-character energy unapologetically, just like Carrie Bradshaw.
2000's — Shifting to a Global Luxury Empire
In 2001, founder Jimmy Choo departed the business. Sandra Choi, Choo's niece by marriage, would continue to preserve the craftsmanship and design philosophy that helped establish the brand.
But the company wasn't content to remain exclusively a footwear label. A handbag collection was launched in 2003, followed by eyewear in 2007, while the brand continued developing its international retail presence.
There was just one thing missing - a signature scent.
Expanding Beyond Accessories
2011 — Jimmy Choo Makes Its Fragrance Debut
Fifteen years after the label was founded, Jimmy Choo introduced its first fragrance. Created in partnership with Interparfums, Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum brought the brand's glamorous identity into the world of perfume.
And rather than creating something quiet or understated, the house embraced the same confident femininity that defined its footwear.
The fragrance is a fruity chypre fragrance that feels playful, sophisticated, and unmistakably feminine. Its faceted glass bottle, inspired by the visual language of luxurious accessories, makes just as much of a statement as the scent itself.
It was a natural extension of the Jimmy Choo aesthetic.
A pair of Jimmy Choo heels might complete the outfit, but a Jimmy Choo perfume could become part of someone's everyday identity.
2013 — Jimmy Choo Flash
Jimmy Choo Flash was designed to capture the excitement of a glamorous night out, evoking the energy of camera flashes, late-night celebrations, and stepping into the spotlight.
Where the original Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum was warm and sensual, Flash brought a brighter, more playful personality to the collection.
It was a reminder that Jimmy Choo wasn't interested in creating fragrances that simply smelled beautiful. The brand wanted them to make you feel something.
2014 — Jimmy Choo Man Arrives
A natural next step for a label that had already expanded into men's footwear and accessories, the first men's fragrance was introduced in 2014.
Created by perfumer Anne Flipo, Jimmy Choo Man Eau de Toilette is a modern aromatic fragrance that feels effortlessly stylish rather than overly traditional. Its smoky gray bottle, inspired by a classic hip flask, gave the fragrance a distinctly masculine identity while maintaining the brand's polished aesthetic.
Jimmy Choo Man also marked an important turning point.
The brand was no longer speaking exclusively to women looking for their next statement accessory - it was developing an entire fragrance wardrobe for men, too.
2015 — A Sweeter, More Daring Side
By 2015, Jimmy Choo was embracing an even more playful approach to fragrance.
Jimmy Choo Illicit introduced a sensual combination of ginger, bitter orange, jasmine, honey, and warm amber. Jimmy Choo Blossom offered something completely different - bright, fruity, and youthful, blending red berries, citrus, and florals with a soft musky base.
In just four years, the brand's fragrance identity evolved, and there was no longer one definition of the Jimmy Choo woman. She could be sophisticated, rebellious, romantic, playful, or all four depending on the occasion.
2017 — A New Chapter in Global Luxury
Jimmy Choo Man Ice and Jimmy Choo L'Eau arrived in 2017. As Jimmy Choo's fragrance business continued expanding, the brand itself entered another major chapter.
In 2017, Michael Kors Holdings acquired Jimmy Choo in a deal valued at approximately $1.2 billion. For a label that had started in a small London shoemaking workshop, the transformation was extraordinary.
2020 — I Want Choo Becomes a New Fragrance Icon
I Want Choo Eau de Parfum represented a fresh expression of the brand's personality, and would become one of the defining collections of its modern era. The name itself was playful, memorable, and unmistakably Jimmy Choo.
It was bold without being intimidating, sweet without losing sophistication, and perfectly suited to someone who considered getting ready half the fun of going out.
The campaign embraced friendship, celebration, and the confidence that comes from dressing up simply because you want to.
I Want Choo wasn't about waiting for a special occasion, it was about making the occasion special yourself.
I Want Choo's success helped establish a new signature collection that would continue evolving throughout the decade.
A Tribute to 30 Years
2026 — Pearls of Wisdom
Thirty years after its founding, Jimmy Choo is celebrating an extraordinary journey. For its anniversary, the fashion brand unveiled Pearls of Wisdom, a special capsule collection and campaign inspired by the pearl.
Traditionally associated with 30th anniversaries, pearls represent something particularly meaningful to the fashion house - they develop slowly over time, becoming beautiful through layers of patience and transformation.The anniversary collection revisits and celebrates the brand's past while looking toward its future.
Rather than relying entirely on nostalgia, Jimmy Choo uses the pearl as a reminder that enduring style is built over time.
The brand's anniversary year also brings continued development in fragrance. Jimmy Choo Man Parfum offers a more intense interpretation of the original 2014 men's fragrance. It's a contemporary expression of the confidence and sophistication that have defined the Jimmy Choo Man Collection for more than a decade.
Fashion has changed dramatically since 1996. Through it all, Jimmy Choo has maintained a remarkably recognizable identity. Its shoes have accompanied unforgettable red-carpet appearances, appeared in defining moments of pop culture, and become dream purchases for generations of fashion lovers.
Jimmy Choo fragrances have brought that same spirit into everyday routines, offering an accessible way to experience the personality of a legendary luxury label.
And perhaps that's the secret to Jimmy Choo's longevity. The brand has never been exclusively about shoes, handbags, or perfume - it's about the feeling that comes with wearing something special...
The confidence of a beautiful pair of heels.
The excitement of getting dressed for a night out.
The final spritz of perfume before walking out the door.
...Those small rituals are what make fashion and fragrance so personal.
Celebrating 30 Years of Confidence and Excitement
add something special to your ritual
SHOP JIMMY CHOO FRAGRANCESThe Perfume Spot is an independent retailer. This editorial feature is not sponsored or endorsed by Jimmy Choo or associated brands. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.