Jimmy Choo Marlene Suede Sandals, part of the Jimmy Choo Icons Collection. $1995 via Net-a-Porter
I consider the news that Jimmy Choo chairman Tamara Mellon and CEO Joshua Schulman are leaving the company in the near future something of a personal victory, even though I had very literally nothing to do with this turn of events. As of right now, no one’s saying exactly what brought about this change, which Women’s Wear Daily is reporting as voluntary on the part of both executives. For many shoe lovers, though, it’ll be a welcome switch.
Naturally, at this point, there is no word of successors, and any full celebration would have to be delayed until the new regime is known. What we do know, though, is that Tamara Mellon has managed to drive Jimmy Choo into the ground, creatively, and it’s highly unlikely that most shoe lovers will miss her. It’s possibly that the person who takes the reigns could be worse, of course, but I’m having a hard time imagining how.
In the past two years, Jimmy Choo has become the maker of only a few kinds of shoes: First, the strappy, blandly metallic evening sandals and neutral daytime pumps that undoubtedly make up the majority of the brand’s sales numbers. Second, the wildly impractical and tacky stilettos that cost far more than what they should and often get passed over for far more drool-worthy options from brands like Christian Louboutin. With smaller companies like Nicholas Kirkwood and Charlotte Olympia surging in popularity with Choo’s target customers while the brand languishes in creative limbo, something had to give.
The recent release of the Jimmy Choo Icons Collection only served as a reminder of how good Choo used to be; they were all shoes designed years ago, and yet they looked like the freshest thing Jimmy Choo had released in recent memory. When that’s the case, change should be the next thing on the company’s docket, and change has indeed come to Jimmy Choo. What direction would you like to see the brand take next?
