Jimmy Choo Portrait | National Portrait Gallery
My portrait of Jimmy Choo is held in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, but the photograph came about almost entirely by chance.
The story began when I photographed the wedding of one of Jimmy’s friends. He had made a pair of bespoke shoes for the bride and, after receiving her wedding photographs, she contacted me to ask whether I would photograph her with Jimmy at his couture studio in Connaught Street, London.
Naturally, I didn’t need much persuading.
What began as a photograph of Jimmy with the bride and her shoes eventually gave me the opportunity to make a portrait of him on his own. That photograph would later be accepted into the National Portrait Gallery collection.
How I Came to Photograph Jimmy Choo
On the morning of the wedding, the bride was particularly excited to show me one of the most precious parts of her wedding outfit: a pair of bespoke shoes handmade for her by Jimmy Choo.
I photographed the shoes as part of the story of the day, along with the dress and all those small details that had been carefully chosen by the bride.
After the wedding, once the couple had received their photographs, the bride contacted me again. She asked whether I would meet her and Jimmy at his couture studio in Connaught Street in central London and photograph them together with the shoes.
It was an unexpected opportunity and one I certainly wasn’t going to turn down.
Meeting Jimmy Choo
When I arrived at Jimmy’s couture studio, I immediately found him warm, generous and remarkably unassuming.
We began by making the photographs we’d originally arranged with the bride and her shoes. Once we’d finished, I asked Jimmy whether I could make a few portraits of him on his own.
I wanted to keep things simple.
Rather than create an elaborate lighting setup or take Jimmy somewhere unfamiliar, I photographed him in the window of his own shop using the available natural light. I wanted the portrait to feel relaxed and to photograph him within his own environment.
The resulting black-and-white photograph remains one of my favourite portraits. There is something about his expression, particularly the directness of his eyes and that slightly enigmatic smile, that draws you into the photograph.
But what I remember just as clearly is what happened after we’d finished taking pictures.
Jimmy poured us a glass of champagne and then took us out for lunch.
During the meal, a young woman recognised him and nervously approached our table to ask for his autograph. Jimmy picked up a napkin, drew a pair of shoes on it, signed his name and handed it to her.
She was overwhelmed.
It was only a tiny gesture, but I’ve always remembered it. It seemed to say considerably more about the warmth and generosity of the man I’d just photographed than any list of achievements could.
Jimmy Choo at the National Portrait Gallery
The story of the photograph didn’t end when I left Jimmy’s studio.
My black-and-white portrait of Jimmy Choo was subsequently accepted into the photographic collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The Gallery records the portrait as a giclée print from July 2010, measuring 605 × 455 mm and catalogued as NPG x136527. I donated the print to the collection in 2012.
For a photographer, having a portrait become part of a national collection is very special.
Photographic careers tend to move quickly from one assignment or project to another. You make the photographs, deliver the work and before long you’re thinking about whatever comes next.
Knowing that this portrait has become part of the National Portrait Gallery’s archive gives the photograph a permanence that means a great deal to me.
View Mark Seymour’s portrait of Jimmy Choo at the National Portrait Gallery
Who Is Jimmy Choo?
Born in Penang, Malaysia, into a family of shoemakers, Jimmy Choo learned the craft from his father and made his first pair of shoes at a young age.
He later moved to London to study at Cordwainers’ Technical College, now part of the London College of Fashion, before establishing his own couture business.
His reputation grew internationally through his handmade shoes and high-profile clients, with his designs becoming particularly associated with celebrities and royalty.
Although Jimmy later sold his stake in the company bearing his name, he continued his association with bespoke couture shoemaking and working personally with clients.
For all that international recognition, however, the man I met and photographed was remarkably modest and generous with his time.
Jimmy Choo and Lucy Choi
There’s an interesting postscript to the location where I made the portrait.
The Connaught Street premises where I photographed Jimmy subsequently became Lucy Choi London.
Lucy is Jimmy Choo’s niece and grew up surrounded by the family’s shoemaking tradition before establishing her own footwear business. It’s a lovely continuation of the family’s association with shoemaking and this particular corner of London.
The Story Behind the Portrait
What I particularly like about this portrait is how naturally the whole thing happened.
There was no celebrity portrait commission and no elaborate production.
I photographed a wedding. The bride happened to have a pair of bespoke Jimmy Choo shoes. That relationship led to an invitation to Jimmy’s studio, which led to a conversation, a portrait and ultimately a photograph entering the National Portrait Gallery collection.
Throughout my career, photography has repeatedly given me access to people and places I might otherwise never have encountered.
But I’ve also learned that access itself isn’t enough.
You have to recognise the opportunity, connect with the person in front of you and make something worthwhile from the time you’re given.
Sometimes the most important photographs begin with circumstances you could never have planned.
Explore More of My Documentary Photography
Photographing Kolkata for National Geographic →
The story behind my seven-page National Geographic Traveller assignment in Kolkata and what it taught me about photographing a complete editorial story.
Ronnie’s Story →
My long-term documentary project exploring my father’s experience of dementia, subsequently exhibited in London and internationally.
About Mark Seymour →
More about my documentary photography, exhibitions, publications and photographic work.
Photography, People and Unexpected Opportunities
Some of the photographs that have meant the most to me throughout my career have come from opportunities I could never have planned.
Photography has given me a reason to meet extraordinary people, enter unfamiliar places and spend time in situations I might otherwise never have experienced. Whether I’m photographing a well-known figure such as Jimmy Choo or documenting everyday life on the streets of Kolkata, the approach is essentially the same.
I’m interested in people as they really are, and in creating photographs that reveal something about the person or place rather than simply recording what they look like.
Having this Jimmy Choo portrait become part of the National Portrait Gallery collection was an unexpected honour, but the experience of meeting and photographing Jimmy is every bit as memorable as where the photograph eventually ended up.
