JOURNEYMAN JIMMY CHOO

Text by Hunan Photos by Jeff

JOURNEYMAN JIMMY CHOO

Text by Hunan Photos by Jeff

Guangzhou, China.August, 2019.

This southern city in China is not strange for Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE.

On the contrary, it has become a frequent stop in recent years, since he has been regularly travelling to Guangzhou. And his original hometown Meixian County is just several hundreds kilometres away.

Both of the two places share the background of Lingnan culture that has deeply affected Choo since he was very young, as his father lived in Meixian County for several years before moving to Malaysia. Until now, Choo has insisted some traditional habits were inherited from his Cantonese family.

This time, together with the Ministry of Culture,Arts and Tourism of Malaysia, Choo came to Guangzhou to promote an offi cial guide book for tourism in Malaysia. He has been the Malaysian Tourism Ambassador since 2009.

Albeit Choo's busy schedule stops him sparing a pure period for tourism, he could manage to adjust his time for a quick “travel” among schedules.

“If time permits, usually I will arrive at the destination 3 days before. In the fi rst 2 days I will visit some cultural landmarks in that city, for instance,museums and libraries, to admire local culture and seek design inspiration.”

But this is not the case in Guangzhou. Instead of the identity of a tourist, he is more a lonely child who has been wandering in a strange land for quite a long time and afraid to go back home.

Choo is quite familiar with Guangzhou. He knows where to buy leather goods and accessories, and where to enjoy traditional Cantonese cuisine. But when mentioning Meixian County, he said regretfully that he has never been there, with a sense of disappointment in his words.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that Choo has been profoundly infl uenced by his hometown. Since he was very young, he was taught subconsciously by his family to be responsible, modest, honest and have gratitude for what he has, which has now become his motto since starting his career as a shoemaker.

George Town, Malaysia.1961.

Tracing his roots back to 1961, Choo was born in George Town, a coastal city in Malaysia.

It is here where he started to understand the difference between being a shoemaker and a designer and initiated his dream of being an internationally recognised icon and legendary shoe couturier.

George Town, or more exactly speaking, Malaysia,is famous for the coexistence of multiple cultures.The original culture of the area stemmed from indigenous tribes that inhabited it, along with the Malays who later moved there. Substantial infl uence exists from Chinese and Indian culture, dating back to when foreign trade began. Other infl uences include the Persian, Arabic, and British cultures.

The multi-cultural atmosphere helps Choo form a compatible attitude towards art and also a special aesthetic taste. He was encouraged to embrace cultural diversity and absorb various artistic knowledge all around from the very beginning of his artistic explorations.

Hence, Choo gradually found his own style of design: a combination of exquisiteness and pleasantness. He believed that a good pair of shoes should be fashionable and comfy with no more than a 4-inch heel. High heels are beautiful but not good for a woman's feet. However if you need to attend a formal event like a party or ceremony, you should respect that.

London, UK.2001.

It is undeniable that London is a special place for Choo, since he started his career and grew into a world famous shoes-designer here.

It was 1986 when an entrepreneurial Choo fi rst set up shop in London, following his graduation from Cordwainers Technical College, now part of the London College of Fashion. His ready-towear line was launched in 1996, and loyal celebrity fans such as the late Princess Diana, Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex and the City propelled his rise to stardom. Several accolades followed, including an Order of the British Empire for his contribution to fashion, presented by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.

Today, this sexy, glamorous brand that's wildly famous for its high heels and even higher price tags has nothing to do with him, except the name.He sold his shares in 2001 and launched a shop named Jimmy Choo Couture in London only for customer-tailored shoes.

Choo gradually shows his ambition to be the mentor for young and inspiring designers all over the world.

He accepts only several hundreds of orders and spends more time to seek and promote those not-well-known designers and their excellent works globally. In the near future he plans to start a workshop in Australia, exploring new outstanding designers as well allowing ordinary people to have the opportunity to make a pair of shoes.

Life is like a journey, and for Choo this is a new trip.

N=NIHAO

J=JIMMY CHOO

N: What kind of vacation do you prefer?

J:I'd love to travel to clean, beautiful and quiet places. Then I can enjoy the local culture and arts.The most important thing is that this place should be safe.

N: If you have a chance to recommend tourist sites to those who have never been to Malaysia,where will you choose?

J:Mabul Island. It's a quiet island with mountains,waters, and vast stretches of bird-of-paradise

fl owers. It has adequate tourist facilities, enabling

you to yacht and enjoy seafood.

N: Recently a direct flight between Guangzhou and Langkawi Island has been launched, how about your opinion?

J:I think this cooperation is really good. I like fl ights by China Southern Airlines. Their fl ights are on time,the service is good and food is good, too. I noticed that there was even a handsome young staff on the plane, and this made me feel more secure.

N：喜欢什么样的度假方式？

J：地方一定要很干净，漂亮，安静，可以让我去看看他们的文化、艺术。最重要的是那个地方一定要安全。

N：给没有去过马来西亚旅游的人推荐景点，你会推荐哪里？

J：马布岛（Mabul Island）。那是个很幽静的海岛，有山有水，那边的天堂鸟很漂亮，而且那边的旅游设施齐全，有游船带你去外面玩，还有各种海鲜任你挑。

N：广州开通直航往返兰卡威的航班，你怎么看？

J：我觉得这种合作很好。南航的飞机基本上时间很准，服务也很好，机上餐饮也很合我胃口，我很喜欢。我注意到这次飞来广州的航班上还有一个高大英俊的工作人员，让我很有安全感。