Tamara Mellon

Tamara Mellon began her career at Phyllis Walters Public Relations, Mirabella and followed as accessories editor for British Vogue in 1990.

Recognizing the potential for development of high-end designer accessories, Mellon approached bespoke shoe-maker Mr. Jimmy Choo with the idea of launching a ready-to-wear shoe company. As co-founder of the Jimmy Choo Company, Tamara secured funding from her father for the creation of her business, and sourced factories in Italy. In addition, she set up an office in Italy to handle production, quality control and shipping. By 2001, Jimmy Choo had over 100 wholesale clients including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, and the collections accounted for over 50% of the production of several of these factories.

The Motcombe Street store was followed by stores in New York, Las Vegas and Beverly Hills. In April 2001, Jimmy Choo partnered with Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd. Acquiring Mr Choo’s share of the ready to wear business, Equinox’s Chief Executive Robert Bensoussan became CEO of Jimmy Choo, introducing handbag and small leather goods collections. In November 2004, with the company valued at £101 million, Hicks Muse announced the majority acquisition of Jimmy Choo.

Jimmy Choo now has a total of 39 stores, including London (Sloane Street & New Bond Street), New York, Beverly Hills, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Moscow, Milan and Hong Kong and is distributed by select stores worldwide. In 2007, Mellon made another appearance on the Sunday Times Rich List, where she is ranked as the 751st richest person in the UK, with an estimated wealth of £99 million. She is also ranked as the 64th richest woman in Britain.

Mellon was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honors.