ELLE meets Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo was recently given an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University in Leicester, and as a thank you the shoe smith offered to give a master class to the university's Footwear Design students – and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to head up there ourselves and see what advice he had to offer the next generation of talented designers.

Professor Choo, as we can now refer to him, grew up in Malaysia where his father was a footwear designer. Once he had decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, Choo came to London to study at Cordwainers College – and the rest, as they say, is history. He sold his stake in his eponymous ready-to-wear label in 2001 and now divides his time between creating bespoke shoes from his studio in Connaught Street and travelling the world to champion education.

Down-to-earth and humble, not to mention fantastic company, he is incredibly passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with students. ‘It’s my way of saying thank you,’ he says. ‘Without my British education Jimmy Choo wouldn’t exist.’ Yesterday he offered sage advice to a rapt audience before revealing which very lucky student would be rewarded with the opportunity to spend a day with him in his studio.

As well as playing mentor Mr Choo also told us about his latest project – he has just opened a Chinese restaurant, Maximini, in Sussex Place, London, which we have, of course, promised to visit. And we even got a clue about his weekend plans – Beyonce dropped him a message to see if he would like to meet her for a drink while she’s in town. We don’t blame her.