House of Jimmy Choo

Tamara Mellon is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Jimmy Choo, a complete luxury lifestyle accessory brand, encompassing women's shoes, handbags, small leather goods, sunglasses and eyewear.

Tamara oversees the creative vision of the brand and her dream for Jimmy Choo has always been to fully accessorise and capture the hearts of women around the world, by building a full luxury house with shoes at the core.

In 1996 when Tamara was Accessories Editor at British Vogue, she realised the potential demand for stylish but wearable shoes and approached Mr Jimmy Choo, the couture shoe maker based in the East End of London, recognized for his excellent craftsmanship. She partnered with Mr Jimmy Choo to start the ready-to-wear shoe company, sourcing factories and production in Italy and opened the first stand alone boutique on Motcomb Street, London as well as a strong wholesale business.

In 1998, Jimmy Choo opened its first boutique in New York, followed by Los Angeles in 1999. Sparking an immediate success amongst young Hollywood, Jimmy Choo became synonymous with the “red carpet” and was hailed the lucky charm for Oscar winners such as Cate Blanchett, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank and many other Hollywood actresses. Tamara was a pioneer in Hollywood, spearheading the first accessory brand to offer nominees and presenters with customised shoes for their red carpet appearances.

In April 2001, Mr Jimmy Choo's equity share of the business was purchased by Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd. During this period, Jimmy Choo introduced handbags and expanded into additional territories. In November 2004, Lion Capital acquired a majority shareholding, valuing the company at £101 million. In February 2007, a majority shareholding of Jimmy Choo was acquired by TowerBrook Capital Partners, the international private equity firm, a deal which valued the company at £185 million.

Tamara's lifestyle vision will be extended further with the development of the first Jimmy Choo fragrance under licence with Inter ParfumsSA.

Today, the Jimmy Choo brand is available in the growing network of Jimmy Choo freestanding stores as well as in the most prestigious department and specialty stores worldwide. From its original base in the United Kingdom and United States, the Jimmy Choo store network now encompasses over 100 locations in 32 countries.

Jimmy Choo has been awarded the 2008 ACE Designer Brand of the Year award, 2008 British Designer Brand of the Year Award from the British Fashion Council, the 2008 Footwear News Brand of the Year Award, and the 2009 Nordstrom Partners In Excellence award.

In addition to her activities related to Jimmy Choo, Tamara also sits on the Board of Directors of Revlon Inc.

Tamara was born in London to British parents and was raised and educated in England, Beverly Hills and Switzerland.