The Towering World of Jimmy Choo: A Glamorous Story of Power, Profits, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Shoe - Hardcover

Goldstein Crowe, Lauren; Maceira De Rosen, Sagra

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596913916 ISBN 13: 9781596913912

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2009

Synopsis

A smart, sexy business book for the readers who made Trading Up a bestseller: the tale of a London society girl who built one of the most talked-about shoe brands in the world.

The Towering World of Jimmy Choo examines the world's seemingly insatiable appetite for luxury goods by telling the behind-the-scenes tale of one of the most talked-about brands of our age. Jimmy Choo was a London shoemaker with a few famous clients when Tamara Yeardye, a London society girl, convinced him to launch a factory-produced luxury shoe line. Twelve years later, Jimmy Choo is a household name, and Tamara still presides over what is now one of the most successful luxury brands in the world, worth some $350 million. But along the way she was tested at every turn. The story of how the Jimmy Choo brand got to where it is today is one of love, hate, sex, fashion, finance, drugs, celebrity, power, intrigue, and ambition. And every word of it is true. Compelling to followers of both fashion and business, The Towering World of Jimmy Choo takes readers into a complex and rarified world.

About this title

About the Author

Lauren Goldstein Crowe has covered the fashion and luxury goods industries for Condé Nast Portfolio, Time, Fortune, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, the New York Times, British Vogue, British Elle, Wallpaper, the Financial Times, and the London Times among others, and has appeared frequently as a fashion expert on television and radio. Sagra Maceira de Rosen is the head of the Luxury & Retail division of Reig Capital Group and a partner and investment director of RC Luxury Partners. She was an equity analyst and head of the Global Luxury Goods Research team at JPMorgan in London.

Review

“Describe[s] the company's dizzying rise from the days when it was a hole-in-the-wall operation custom-making shoes for an elite clientele that included Diana, Princess of Wales. The authors also present the colorful personalities and bitter squabbles – some quite domestic – that marked the rise of Jimmy Choo.” ―Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Wall Street Journal

“Glamorous and intriguing...with all the juicy details that fashion insiders will relish.” ―Teri Agins, author of The End of Fashion

“High drama. High stakes. High fashion. I just love this book.” ―Marisa Acocella Marchetto, author of Cancer Vixen and New Yorker cartoonist

“As the world economy continues to reel, one burning question prompted by journalist Crowe and financial analyst De Rosen's riveting history of the ups and downs--and ups again--of the Jimmy Choo brand: Will there continue to be a market for high-end luxury goods? The answer is a toss-up...: Does Jimmy Choo represent a new business model for luxury brands--or was it simply in the right place at the right time? There is something Sex and the City–like about Jimmy Choo's rise to fashionista prominence: it's the tale of many machinations, many different owners (three in less than one decade), and clashes of outsized personalities, incuding Jimmy Choo (yes, he exists!), the Malaysian shoemaking talent... among dozens of other celebrities and characters. A fascinating, well-written chronology that draws a chillingly accurate behind-the-scenes portrait of a contemporary fashion brand.” ―Booklist

“This tell-all details how Malaysian immigrant Jimmy Choo's luxury brand grew into a global business with sales of nearly $200 million a year... The personalities behind the brand--notably company president Tamara Mellon --are fascinating.” ―More magazine

“Glamourama! Veteran fashion journalist Lauren Goldstein Crowe and top luxury business analyst Sagra Maceira de Rosen expertly explore the glittering beau monde of shoes, from backroom machinations and takeover ploys to jet-set fetes and dramas in James Bond locales. A must read for fashionistas and suits alike.” ―Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe

“Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira de Rosen have taken a £500 stiletto and used it to burst the bubble of hot air and secrecy that surrounds the business of selling luxury goods.” ―Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

“A fascinating, intriguing look behind one of the world's youngest global luxury players. A must read for anyone remotely involved in the fashion industry as the writers take us behind the scenes and show us just what it takes to have a big win--a combination of great skill and daring, bold moves, tenacity, creativity, and of course timing and luck. A true page turner.” ―Rose Marie Bravo, former CEO of Burberry

“Fun and powerful...like a great pair of heels!!!” ―Diane von Furstenberg

“There is nothing sexier than a confident, intelligent woman. For the last decade, Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira de Rosen have impressed the fashion and business worlds with their thoughtful critiques and analysis of the fashion industry. Together they make a formidable team.” ―Tom Ford, former Creative Director of Gucci Group

“In my tenure as the CEO of Gucci, I had dealings with literally hundreds of journalists. Lauren Goldstein Crowe was, without a doubt, the one who was best able to convey the crazy world of luxury goods at a crazy time... Sagra Maceira de Rosen equally stood out as the only luxury goods analyst who understood that it takes more to make this business tick than a good spreadsheet.” ―Domenico De Sole, former CEO of Gucci Group

“A glamorous cocktail of high finance and family drama. A business book that reads like a novel.” ―Alex Bolen, CEO of Oscar de la Renta

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1596913916
• ISBN 13: 9781596913912
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240