When it comes to our favorite brands, it’s easy to be overcome with excitement on actually owning a brand that you’ve been coveting for who knows how long. Whether it’s seeing it on Sex and the City, your favorite brunch spot or that image you’ve saved from Vogue. After the days, weeks, months and even years of waiting, you bought that present for yourself and have now added to that brands icon status. Seeing it in Neiman’s or Saks you know that it’s a brand that has truly arrived; however, the journey takes many steps. That’s what The Towering World of Jimmy Choo talks about – the business of the shoe and it provides near encounters with investors that could have changed its destiny if it had been acquired.

Now many of you know that I am a HUGE fan of Jimmy Choo and my first encounter was the classic line from Sex and the City “wait I lost my Choo”. From then on it became a shoe I wanted even being someone from Indiana who was studying in college and not exactly sure what I was going to do. Of course flash forward and I found myself at the Jimmy Choo store on Madison holding my first pair that were given to us by the Jimmy Choo team! I was more than thrilled and it’s a unforgettable experience. So, hearing about this book was intriguing and seeing that my mom works with investors that do deals of large sums, I was excited to learn how a couture shoe that was created by Jimmy Choo evolved into a massive brand that grew much farther than the designer’s scope.

This book was created by two women who are not affiliated with the Jimmy Choo camp or the investors that acquired the company. I do believe that the actual events in terms of who acquired the company, those who were in bids and the environment of what was going on in terms of the Luxury Market in general, overall economy pre and post 9/11, LVMH and it’s revamped model, Gucci Group, etc are definitely true. You also get the back story on Tamara who found an interest in Jimmy Choo and became the personality, her father and mother and their role in business and those who came into the company in terms of employees. These are retold accounts via members of the team or by those who were close to them. Either way, from a business standpoint, this is a great book and it’s entertaining to learn about those who came into contact at the company. Ultimately, this book talks about the importance of maintaining a quality product that is enticing to those within the industry, potential investors and those that embrace the brand from a consumer standpoint. In addition, it shows that companies need to emerge when there is a need that has yet to be filled; however, since there is no “right way or document to follow” these companies that we have come to love truly make their mark on unchartered territory. As much as we can love and respect such brands that have been around for a long time: Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, there is still a place for the new comer who is a little over 10 years old in terms of how we know them (although Jimmy himself, created the shoes much earlier). This is a must read on so many levels!