Forever Young: Menswear shoot for Sentinel Magazine: Trends Report

Jacket by CK Calvin Klein.
Sweater and pen by Dunhill. Trousers
by Gianfranco Ferre.
Wallet by Loewe

Top by Gianfranco Ferre.
Belt by Ermenegildo Zegna.
Trousers by Emporio Armani.
Satchel bag by Dunhill.
Watch by Gucci.

Shirt by Pringle of Scotland.
Necklaces by Rock Candy.

Jacket and shirt both by Dunhill.
Tie and trousers both by Gianfranco Ferre.
Bag by Loewe.

Shirt and pen both by Dunhill.
Bag by CK Calvin Klein.
Sunglasses by Ermenegildo Zegna.

Sweater and diary both by Loewe.
Jacket by Versace.
Watch by Gucci.

Photography: Jonas Lille
Styling: Jolene Lin
Makeup: Karen Yiu and team. 
Hair: Mike
Model: Nickey K
Producer: P.Ramakrishnan for Sentinel magazine. 

Return of the rhythm method: Exclusive interview with Maestro Zakir Hussain

By P.Ramakrishnan


Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is looking forward to his return to Hong Kong on Saturday. In 2002 he joined George Brooks' Summit in the New Vision Arts Festival's The King Drummers shows in the city; it was a memorable gig, he says.


'The performance had multiple elements of art all fusing. I had never done anything like that before and haven't since,' he says.

'It was great fun - all the elements of art on a stage: Indian music, the symphony, a few painters who were painting around us while we were performing, with a jazz group and images of jazz legends in the background. It was all happening at the same time and it was truly eclectic.'

Hussain says he is used to such collaborations, having worked with the likes of George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Tito Puente, Van Morrison and the Kodo drummers. Such performances expand his global audiences beyond fans of Indian classical music, the Mumbai-born musician says.

'You know it's funny, when Bollywood movie stars tour, the audience is mostly full of non-resident-Indians awaiting their screen idols and beauties,' Hussain says with a chuckle.

'When we tour in the US, it's a greater mix of western [often more than eastern] audiences. The last time that we performed in New York it was an ocean of westerners and I was looking for the homeland heads through the blinding stage lights. I'm glad that our music is equally well-received by the international crowd,' he says.
Hussain has the pump of percussion in his blood. The son of tabla master Allah Rakha, he grew up in a house filled with music by his father's troupe. From an early age he made his own music by beating pots and still likes to rattle a metal plate, two glasses and a spoon in a spontaneous jig, he says.

'As I heard music all day at home, I believe music can be made with anything, any time, anywhere!' Hussain says.

He started playing the tabla 'as soon as he could reach one', performed his first concert at seven and started touring when he was 12. He says he was 'nearly 13' when he stood in for a musician who was ill and played with his father for the first time on stage.

'You never forget your first performance,' Hussain says of his 'first great moment' under a spotlight. 'I love the improvisational aspect of performing live on stage.'
But not all his early performances went so well.

'When I was 16, I went to play a festival and I was booed off stage!' Hussain says. 'It was strange - the night before was an incredible success. I was the darling of the press, a teen with a following and I could do no wrong. Oh my God, it was thrilling ... and then you get a kick in the butt like that!'

Hussain laughs at the memory but says such setbacks are important life lessons.
'You have to push yourself,' he says. 'It's great to be booed off. It brings you down to earth. Then you start thinking of expanding your repertoire, you have that pressure to improve, to be better than before.'

The boos also remind the children of celebrities that they have to make their own mark, he says.

'There's only so much mercy clapping you'll get [from] an audience,' he says. 'The audience is kind, but patronising only to a certain extent - you'd better be good at the job or they won't care who your father, mother, brother or grandfather is!'
Hussain recalls how he used to sit around discussing music with his father at 3am.

'My dad would have these epiphanies at some late hour and he'd sit with me and go over music,' he says. 'It used to drive my mother up the wall as I'd have school the next day, but late into the night, into the very early morning, we'd discuss raagas, thumri and different beats.'

And Hussain is still exploring different sounds. 'You have to listen to folk music to become aware of what the people are about,' he says. 'You understand that culture a bit better, how they communicate. I listen to folk music of the world, the blues, bluegrass, church music ... Even to understand true Indian music, I prefer to put my ear to the sounds that are closer to the land.'

Hussain doesn't say what's on his iPod, but he seems to sense the rhythm of the global financial meltdown. 'Lately I've been hearing the rumblings and crashes of the stock market,' he says. 'I'm sure the repercussions have hit Hong Kong long before our percussion show.'





Zakir Hussain, Masters Of Percussion,
Sat, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Stadium,
HK$200-HK$600. 

Inquiries: 6019 0621 or 9641 8214

Published in South China Morning Post
Sunday October 26 2008

Night & De: Indian author, Prolific Writer Shobhaa De in Hong Kong

She juggles home, husband and six children, three weekly columns and a weekly talk show on TV, churns out a bestseller each year and is more often than not hopscotching around the globe promoting, speaking and... shopping! She's a woman undeniably in control. An exclusive conversation with P.Ramakrishnan and Shobhaa De, superwoman... in a nine-yard sari!

All images courtesy of Ayesha Broacha.

Read the entire feature in the latest issue of Kee magazine. 

Fashion four let clothes do the talking: Interview with Hong Kong's Famous Four Designers

As Hong Kong fashion week struts down the catwalk in style and stilettos, members of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers' Association (HKFDA) will present a preview of their latest collection to a select number of international buyers.

Between harried preparations for shows and clients, a fashionable foursome took the time to discuss their past collections and imminent ones.

LuLu Cheung: Many 20-somethings pay respect to this demure lady, whose affordable and wearable clothes (under the label "21 Lu") fly off shelves from seven boutiques.

Her clothes this season appear to reflect the designer herself - simple, elegant, youthful and fresh. Ms Cheung has been in the business for nearly two decades, but her work this season goes off in a tangent from her earlier nature- and floral-inspired designs.

This season, Ms Cheung turns to space for her inspiration and reflection.

"This collection will be really modern and the colours will be basics such as white, grey and black. My inspiration is from space and the sky. Clouds, rain, circular patterns, clean cuts, crystal."

Keeping with the theme of simplicity, the designer believes that cotton will never go out of fashion.

"It is pragmatic for the Asian climate, comfortable and easy to wash and wear - with slight delineations to cotton organza and various textures . . . the cloth will have a soft silhouette," she says.

"I've chosen lighter clothes for the spring season. Cotton silk for jackets and cotton mixed with wool for the spring line."

While previous collections were loaded with colourful print work and odes to vintage designs that mingled with modern-day cuts, the coming show will display a more structured and romantic look. Hence the theme has been labelled "Everlasting Melody".

Ika: Slapping a "Made in Hong Kong" title on Ika's clothes would ignore the essence of this pan-Asian designer. Hop-scotching around the region, Ika's inspiration from different lands and people have inspired her signature look, blazed with ethnic patterns and designs. But her latest collection deliberately moves away from this tradition.

"This collection does not present the ethnic touch. Instead it has the younger, feminine approach, play and treatment of fabrics," says Ika. "It is not an ethnic collection. My approach is more in handwork, embroideries, crochets, knits and so on, combined with lace."

Multiple hues and traffic-stopping colours are out as she opts for a soft palette with a splash of vivid colour to create a tasteful counterpoint to the norm. Look out for sea-greens to blue nuance, beige with a dash of earthy red or beige with smatterings of turquoise.

What remains constant are the accessories made from shells, stones, mini-bamboos for belts, sandals and bags, coconut chips engraved into the sandals. She still embraces the tropical and natural feel.

Quality is key and Ika is aware of her fastidious European markets. "I have used best-quality linen from China, synthetics from Taiwan and Korea, lace and pleats from Italy and France. The fabrics used are natural voiles of cotton and linen," she says.

Having recently rounded up the Bali fashion week, Ika is spreading herself thin, working much like a couturier sans frontier . When asked about local designers, she says: "I like Kevin Yeung for being a master of cuttings and pattern. Walter Ma for his creativity and popular appeal and Cecilia Yau for her clever European bitch taste, a mix of femininity and bitchy elegance."

Dorian Ho: When his creations are not being displayed by willowy models in Australia or during the 7th on Sixth fashion show in New York's Bryant Park, Mr Ho calls Hong Kong home.

Many are familiar with "Doriano", the self-proclaiming label sprinkled across 50 outlets in Hong Kong. Floral prints on loose-fitted tops over shimmering satin skirts are just part of his label's legacy and the designer has never been shy of using seemingly contrasting colours. Somehow, the melange works and works well enough to inspire his global market.

Changing tacks this season, Mr Ho steps back in time and ends up in the earlier part of the last century.

"I have been inspired by the 20s' and 30s' look and I am reminiscing the past. This work will be a portrait of, and a portrait to, My Fair Lady and range from casual to relaxed cocktail dresses, glamorous evening wear."

A Victorian elegance will feature in this season's silk, lace, fabrics that dominate Mr Ho's look. Last season was all about summer fun, the cruise line and a Tropicana atmosphere, diametrically opposite to Mr Ho's direction now.

Keeping his eye on the present craze and on vintage vogue, Mr Ho predicts that soft tones, ivory, champagne, beige, pinks, classic burgundy, brown, black will make impressions in the coming season.

"European styles are coming back. Floral prints, many patterns. The accessories I have used will also have an antique and vintage look."

French lace, silk chiffon, silk satin, tulle netting will be featured on catwalks as Dorian's range of cocktail evening wear will project feminine sensuality, the theme of the collection.

Grace Choi: It is the proverbial chicken and egg question: does Ms Choi garner inspiration from Hong Kong's youth or does the youth culture dote on her tailoring? Tough call, but it is easy to see the mass appeal of her work. The youth-identification does not hurt and her simple yet creative garments ride the trend waves well.

Presenting her early spring collection, Ms Choi aims directly at "high fashion for discerning young ladies".

She says: "The applied and the intricate embroidery, small patchwork and appliques will have a casual and hand-crafted feel. The silhouette will not be complicated."

Ms Choi says she has used a mixture of hand-knit and fabric together to create the garment. Some raw-edged and layered styling will also be featured for a more natural feeling.

"I think customers now are much more excited with very delicate artwork so I have used floral patterns and some geometrical patterns. They are a discerning market, aware of what is out there. Natural colours such as cream, reddish brown tones mixed with denim blue. It is easy to match colour and it is suitable for the dressed-down trend."

There will not be flashy accessories to corrupt the look; the only fashion appendages her models will have are stockings and simple sandals.

"I want to reflect the mood in Hong Kong at the moment - many are unemployed and unhappy, so the colours will be natural, not too cheerful and bright. On the other hand, I believe Hong Kong people are strong and I am sure we can face the problems and get our confidence back."


Published in South China Morning Post, 09.07.2002

Byline: P.Ramakrishnan. All images Courtesy: Dorian Ho collection.

The Master's Apprentice: Hrithik Roshan: Bollywood Superstar in Hong Kong: BTS of film

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan has been in Hong Kong to study under one of the world’s most sought after action choreographers. P.Ramakrishnan tracked them down during a break in training. All images by Oliver Tsang.



It’s been the city’s best-kept secret. Even among the 300,000 Indians living and working in Hong Kong, only about 20 knew that one of the subcontinent’s biggest film stars, Hrithik Roshan, has been living in Kowloon.

Maybe the secrecy has been a good thing. Back home in Mumbai, Roshan is never far from his four gun-totting security guards, as hoards of screaming fans shadow his very move.

But in Hong Kong, it’s been a different story. Making his way into the gym along Peking Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui last week, the 31-year-old barely raised an eyebrow.

The first thing that catches Roshan’s eye as he survey’s the cityscape is a poster for the Stephen Chow Sing-chi blockbuster Kung Fu Hustle. And behind the poster lies the reasons for his trip to our shores. He says he recently got a chance to see the film – but he didn’t just watch it, he studied it. “The action scenes were mind blowing,” he says.

Roshan is in town to work under the expert eye of Tony Ching Siu-tung, the action choreographer on the Oscar-nominated House of Flying Daggers and the box-office smash Hero. Ching is preparing Roshan for the sequel to last year’s Bollywood hit Koi Mil Gaya (I Found Someone). For four to six hours a day, Ching has been unveiling the mysteries of wushu to Roshan at the Pacific Club gymnasium.

“I didn’t make an announcement about coming because I’m here to learn and it’s been nice getting around, making a few friends,” says Roshan. “Everyone here is busy doing their own thing and so am I.”

Seated on a mat during a break in training with his translator/assistant by his side, Ching syas: “When the producer/director Rakesh Roshan [Hrithik’s father] first came to meet me last year with the proposal of working on an Indian film, I agreed immediately.

“I’ve seen a few Indian films and really enjoyed them. They like good action, as do we. So it’s a good mix. Even before we negotiated terms, I wanted to do it, just for the opportunity. I went to India on a location-hunting trip with the crew and I had a great time.”

Roshan Jnr is hesitant to state when shooting begins, but, as it’s his father’s film, he will be actively involved in all aspects of the production.

“I’ve been behind the scenes for many years, even though I always wanted to be an actor, I’ve been assisting my dad for a long time so I know what it takes,” he says. “This is my third trip to Hong Kong over the past 14 months and we were here working with the local film fraternity, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to promote Bollywood film production in Hong Kong.”

Unfortunately, though, this is one production which will not be shot here as the filmmakers have decided to split their time between India and Singapore. “The reasons were simple – we were giving more incentives to shoot there, “ says Roshan. “It wasn’t as economically viable to shoot here, and the location there suited the script so it’s been settled in Singapore. But we still wanted to work with talent like Tony, to give the film a Hong Kong flavour, so all the film’s action scenes will be choreographed by him and his crew.”

While Roshan’s foray into film could have been predicted – Rakesh Roshan was an actor in the 1970s/80s, and is one of the most successful producer/directors working today – the amount of success he’s enjoyed has surprised even the most seasoned of Bollywood watchers.

Hrithik Roshan's first film in a leading role was 2000’s Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Say There’s Love), which was the year’s box-office champion and won its star both the best newcomer and best actor honours at the Filmfare Awards – India’s equivalent of the Oscars. Koi Mil Gaya followed in 2003 and history repeated itself; the film was box-office gold and Roshan walked away with the critic’s choice award for best actor. “Now I can afford to wait for good films to come around,” he says. “My next meal doesn’t depend on how many films I have at hand. Choosing the right film for me is a luxury.”

Roshan’s regime is rigorous. He has started from scratch and is spending hours a day under the command of Ching and two of his trainers. “I don’t know what to expect when he first came to lessons, I’ve never worked with an Indian actor,” Ching says. “But he's been dedicated, focused and hard-working.”

Three hours into the session and Roshan is still going full throttle. During one air-swivel exercise, Roshan’s sword clips a trainer’s ear and he smiles apologetically, mildly embarrassed at the goof.

“I’ve had so many injuries,” he says. “Every muscle in my body has been pulled, stretched, hurt. I’ve damaged muscles I didn’t know I had. My wrist,” he says pointing to bandages, “I don’t think I’ve broken it… but it hurts.”

Rehearsals are taped and Roshan rushes to review his progress during his break. Ching has it all on tape for different reasons. “I’ll go back and watch it all again to see what suits him,” he says. “We’ve had limited time, as we do with any film, so I have to work with what we have. He’s been an excellent student and on camera we will focus on what he does well and those are the things I will choreograph into the film when we begin shooting.”

Ching and his team are now busy preparing for a trip to Mumbai for further work on the film. “With CGI, wire-techniques and other effects, it’s like working on an international film – we’ve had no restrictions on what we can do,” he says.

The Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001), the blockbuster Devdas (2002) and Gurinder Chadha’s crossover Bride and Prejudice (2004) have opened the world’s eyes to the charms of Bollywood And to the possibilities of co-productions. But Roshan says problems remain.

“Calling it a leap of faith would be appropriate,” says Roshan. “With the first film, we used the same special effects team as used in Independence Day. In this film the action is being coordinated here, we're working on getting the sound recorded in Australia and the same American team who worked us earlier is keen to work on this film. The aim for any good production unit is to make the film better than the last and my father is taking a huge risk, but we’re all hoping it’ll be worth it in the end.”

Published in South China Morning Post, Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Feature on Hrithik Roshan from 2021 here.

Behind the Scenes:

- Got more calls from Indian girls about meeting this dude than anyone else. Ever.
- Hrithik is alarmingly nice, helpful and all that's good that's said about him rings true. He's too humble... to the point that I don't believe it's real. But I'm jaded!
- The funniest bit in the interview was when we were trying to get the names of the assistants; the guys came and told Hrithik their full names in Chinese and Hrithik just blanked. He later whispered, "Can we just call them Joe?!"
- He blushed every-time he goofed during rehearsals. He was so embarrassed for himself and he had an archaic 'aww shucks' attitude. He worked non-stop, smacked himself on the head too! All on tape!
- He wanted to see the pics Oliver took and wanted a copy. At one point, while scrolling back, he said, "Eeeee I look bad!" Oliver said there wasn't a single bad shot.
- The entire Hong Kong crew was amazed how quickly he learned his moves. We got many mid-air shots but those got cropped as we've seen those in print all the time in HK, but not in India.

Reality Bytes: Interview and feature with French artist Arthur de Pins

In the hysterical, superscripted world of French artist Arthur de Pins, reality is an out of whack realm that’s begging for attention, laughs, study and introspection. Mixing pure wit with ample creativity, the observation of mankind and all its idiotic idiosyncrasies has never been this clever or belly achingly funny. With computer-enhanced drawings, the frames look like a slick, out of an Academy award-winning animated feature. 

But is it art? 

Senior Eeditor P.Ramakrishnan says, "Hell yeah!"



Within the technicolour, bilingual (French and English) official website of Arthur de Pins, 29, there are various samples of his artwork, clips of the mini films he’s made, posters, portraits, caricatures of celebrities and more. It’s multimedia art that pretenders often speak of, but perhaps de Pins is one of the few to realise.

“When I was at university, I wanted to choose between animation and illustrations,” says the artist. “Now it looks like I’m doing both. Today, everything is mixed together; comic books are turned into TV series, illustrations are animated in Flash, and illustrators work hand in hand with animators on character design. So inspiration is coming from everywhere. As for me, it’s mostly from Europe and Japan, but the software I use (illustrator) has also its own ‘style’ – drawing without outlines, pastel colours – it’s a mix of everything.”

There is an online cult following of de Pins’ work with odes thrown at him like virtual bouquet hoisted towards thespians. With devilish detail, his portrayals of daily Parisian life are exaggerated, comical wonders. Using vector graphics (with Photoshop), every little nuance and minutiae of life is captured. In one of his images, a gaggle of girls try to put their makeup on in front of a mirror. Mouths wide open, their expansive eyes peer at their visages being covered with powder and puff… but pay attention to the precocious little girl in the centre trying to make room and grab a lipstick that’s got the essence of image, the seminal theme within the frame. Well, e-frame!

With an exhibition of his work in the making, de Pins is also working on a film, a sample of his short featurettes already visible online and heavily pirated and redistributed by fanatics (who are of course breaching copyright laws - whatever their intentions may be - by hosting them on their web sites, youtube and the like).

“I’m working on a feature film based on my short movie, “La Revolution des Crabes,” says de Pins, a short film which has already won 33 creative prizes (see it online at www.arthurdepins.com).

His perspective of Paris is diametrically different to those who view it for its architecture, art and sartorial scenario. No moist paintings of couples kissing in gardens with iconic sites blurring in the distance. There isn’t a cliché in sight and his images have delicious unpredictability.

De Pins’ universe is almost exactly like ours, minus the drudgery and mundane grayness, the long pockets of time where nothing happens eradicated and only its brightest moments are captured. In a tailspin of activity, a bus ride becomes a multiple act of characters living their daily lives, trying to fit into a tight space while maintain their distinct quirks. An S&M couple, half nude, find each other in leather straps and translucent tops, among a mélange of humdrum others, who seem listless in their angst inside the vehicle.

 
Women have exaggerated figures of old coke bottles; rotund bottoms and pronounced cleavages. Men seem lackadaisical and half asleep, listening to their own music whilst trying to escape their quotidian world.

Unrestricted by his own surroundings, the erotic and sometimes violent images can be sourced to inspiration that’s transatlantic. “I’m inspired by ‘fashion’ illustrators like Kiraz, LJordi Labada and Monsieur Z, and also by Japanese cartoons – as any other French cartoonist is!”

What separates de Pins from any hack with access to Photoshop is the technical finesse and depth to this work. Its in the shading, gradation and choice of colours, the subtle comic genius that’s clearly at work. If only reality was as interesting. In fact, if only the multi-million dollar comedies churned out of Hollywood resulted in as many laughs!

The way his dream works, perhaps a project with Spielberg is indeed prescient. “One day I’d like to make an animation with exactly the same kid of drawing of my illustrations, but it’s not possible at the moment because my characters are too complex to be drawn by hand and frame by frame. Maybe later a new software will allow that.”

When asked to send us a self-portrait (this interview as done by phone and e-mail), he sent the image on the cover page. You gotta laugh.

Breaking the Foothold: JImmy Choo: Interview with a Genuine Shoe Designing Legend

Are the Jimmy Choos you own a product of Jimmy Choo, the man himself? More likely than not, they’re not. The convoluted history of the brand is such that the designer who created this eponymous brand is far removed from the billion dollar business. The “Malaysian cobbler” and the “English socialite” – as the players in the game have been labeled by the media – are now at peace after an embittered battle for ownership. P.Ramakrishnan looks at the precarious past and the promising future of the man and the distinct brand, albeit of the same name. 

Scarcely could the crowd believe that there he was, Dato Jimmy Choo OBE, 57, the man himself. Seated two feet away form a sea of recorders and numerous cameras trying to get him to a centripetal point, he is renowned for being media shy and generally inaccessible to the teeming masses. 

Attending BODW (Business of Design Week, 2006), the media en masse descended to capture him while they could, in small window of opportunity to shoot the most famous shoe designer in the world (with all due respect to Mr Blahnik!) as he finally stepped out of the workshop that he was participating in. 

Choo looks a good decade younger than he is and his legend is much larger than him; the small frame of a man in an impeccable suit, more sophisticated than stylish, had black leather loafers on, of an indistinguishable brand. But naturally, we had to ask and find out which label the namesake of a shoe empire wears. 

“These shoes? I made them for myself,” he says, with his ever persistent smile. “I don’t make men’s shoes much, but for myself, in my size, I do. It’s very simple, I use soft, high quality leather because comfort is very important, and I wear them out because I wear the same shoes all the time. They last about ten months, then I make another pair.” 

It would be hard to list the lengthy number of people who would love to own a new pair of Jimmy Choos at such regular intervals. With a sly grin, he continues, “Let me tell you secret, I am much taller at night than I am in the day. You know, I’m just a small Chinaman so when I go to parties, and events with all these big Western people, I wear shoes with pumps to make me look taller. I wear my regular shoes and, in the car, just before I step out, I make a quick change. When women come to see me in my shop in the day, they are suddenly surprised that I’ve shrunk overnight!” 

In the early '90s, Jimmy Choo was known to an extremely select and very elite group of serious fashionistas in London, for making incredibly beautiful shoes that were a heady concoction of comfort and supreme style. Princess Diana was a regular client and friend. 

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“She was a wonderful lady. Always kind to me and a great friend. I made shoes for her all the time. I’m not sure but at a certain point I think only I made her shoes, no one else. You know, when she was married to Prince Charles, I would make low heels or flat shoes because she would be so much taller than him otherwise. After they separated, I made high heels for her and I was actually making a pair of gold strappy sandals with a four-inch heel for her when... when she died. I met her just two days before the accident, when she came to see me. I keep the golden pair in my house, as a reminder. She was such a wonderful lady.” 

Choo’s shoes weren’t just for chic royals, they were also the best kept secret in the annals of British Vogue, where a woman by the name of Tamara Mellon was accessories editor. The glamourous daughter of a wealthy industrialist and former model mom, Mellon observed the virtual monopoly that Manolo Blahnik had in the high end market of high-heeled shoes. With money borrowed from her well-to-do father, she and Choo set up shop in 1996. Well, shops actually – four in the first year alone. 

Through sheer word of lip-glossed mouth and clever marketing, the quality shoes hit the social consciousness in a hitherto unseen stampede. There was no turning back and the immediacy of their success made for economics and business lore. A synonym associated with the fashion forward female, it all culminated with regular plugs by Carrie Bradshaw, the fictional lead character in Sex and the City the barometer of style and rend in the 1990s, a show that in the first season paid homage to his arch, professional rival. By season five, all four leading ladies from the show were well heeled in Jimmy Choos in a major coup de....shoe. 

Above: The cast of Sex and the City

However, somewhere along the way the straps came loose in the partnership. In April 2001, the company expanded with the announcement of a new collaboration with Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd which acquired Choo’s share of the ready-to-wear business with Robert Bensoussan, Equinox’s Chief executive becoming CEO of the company. This was followed in 2004 by Lion Capital announcing the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Jimmy Choo, in a transaction valuing the company at 101 million pounds. Choo was left out of the billion dollar wheeling and dealing and Mellon was “liberated” she says from Choo between 2001 and 2002. 

In a profile of Tamara Melon in Vanity Fair (VF), “the Malaysian cobbler” (a phrase that crops up alarmingly often in print when referring to Choo) became “the other difficult man in her life.” 

For this article, we could not get a quote in time from Tamara Mellon or her representatives as we headed to print, but in the feature in the August 2005 edition of Vanity Fair, the industrious socialite said, “Some people see him as the underdog. ‘She came in and stole his name and did this and did that.’ He was very happy. He went away with a lot of money, and he was very happy. I made him wealthy.” 

Undeniably so. The Choo of today is on another postal code area from the garage that he once worked out of in London’s East End. Rumours refer to his 7-figure buyout and settlement. Currently, he has absolutely no take in Jimmy Choo. It bears repeating; Jimmy Choo has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo – the shoes! 

Therein lies a strange sense of questionable fair play. Choo gets no royalties, no credit, and no acknowledgement from the brand as we know it, and yet his name is walking down the red carpet at every celebrity-studded event. The sundered partnership has unequal beneficiaries, and when asked if he gets a cut from the billion plus brand, he deftly deflects the question, 

“You know, I don’t like to look at the past. I look at the future and my health, my happiness, and my family. I’m glad Tamara’s doing well and I’m glad that my name is still associated with a quality product. When they say ‘It’s a Jimmy Choo shoe’, they mean that it’s a good quality, fashion shoe. It has not become a cheap brand. They don’t sell rubbish.” 

Editor of Style magazine, Carmen Li, says, “Well, honestly, I wouldn’t paint Tamara as the bad person. In my opinion, I would not portray her as some evil capitalist either. She made the brand a marketing success and put in her money and made it grow. He was already making shoes, and she expanded the business with her entrepreneurial spirit and his know-how. We don’t really know of the exact details that occurred in negotiation but they’re both richer for it.” 

It is a hot topic to broach but as the press prodded Choo, he remained reticent. 

What do you think of Tamara Mellon? 

“She is a good friend. You know we don’t’ meet as much now because we’re both busy but when I was in London last week, we had dinner together.” 

In the debate, celebrity designer Charlie Lapson (who owns his namesake brand too), has his own take, having shared a similar litigation dotted history. ”I would hate it if my name was out and about and I had no control over the products and what they represent. I fought really hard to maintain my name with my former partners for the same reason. I’m not entirely familiar with their (Mellon – Choo) exact history but I’d fight for ownership of my name – and I did. It cost me millions of dollars, but I know I couldn’t lose control of how my name was used, and the brand that I had worked on for all my adult life.” 

Though he’s left the company, Choo has not left the business. “Now I concentrate on my couture shoes,” he says, speaking in an excited tone of his latest venture. “When a lady goes into my shop, I make a pair for her, a special pair, just for her, for a wedding or special event. She comes, I measure her feet, I make the shoes, ask her to wear them for a week and then come back to me to see if they’re perfect. I don’t even ask for money until she’s happy. I make only very special shoes.” 

As representatives of various financial papers and magazines broach the subject of facts and figures (“Did you walk away with 45 million pounds? “Did you hear of the 2.4 billion sale last year” ), Choo just smiles, “Really, all that is the past,” he says with an omniscient stance - with information he refuses to share with the media. 

Having played the game before in the British tabloids, a far more ruthless exercise than the press waiting for him in Hong Kong. “I have a good team, I have very good lawyers and I am happy. I take a walk everyday around the park near where I live and I am thankful for all that I have.” “So many people here… thank you for coming and talking to me,” he says, astonished at the media hullabaloo around him. 

In person, he’s all humble charm and self-effacing humility. “I’m just a simple man who does what he loves,” he concludes. “Now I want to pass information and my knowledge forward, that’s why I teach and I take apprentices to show them. In London and Malaysia, I work in schools to teach the next generation, but, you know the young of today, they don’t work as hard as they did in my day. My daughter and her friends, they all want to go out and have a good time and see movies and shop and… (laughs).” 

As he walks away in stride, the fashion rag editors follow his wake, hanging on every word. “But they are kids of today. I’m glad they enjoy life. I do too, with my work.”

Sex and the City;

Season 6, episode 9, A Woman's Right to Shoes.