Embracing the rebel: Jimmy Choo's Sandra Choi

The brand's creative director on the inspiration behind its autumn/winter 2017 collection and her star-studded favourite boot

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(Image credit: Richard Valencia Photography)

Jimmy Choo's new collection is inspired by punk band The Clash. It's maybe a little bit of a cliche to put it like this, but we also wanted to explore the "clash" between the sartorial and the more radical – the desire for change and a certain rebelliousness. I've always seen Jimmy Choo as owning this hybrid space, mixing these two elements. We've been around for some time now, so I wanted to hone the collection down to an idea: it's less about trying to do everything now but instead, concentrating on just a few elements and making the most of them.

(Image credit: Richard Valencia Photography)

One of my favourite new pieces is the Troy boot. The star-shaped stud has been important to the brand's identity for a long time, both for men's and women's shoes. Here I wanted to think about how to make it less obvious, less primary. The studs still convey a certain attitude and air of rebelliousness, but the execution is refined and almost formal. I like the functionality of this boot too; because there is an elasticated panel in it, once you've done up the laces you can still pull it on and off, almost like a Chelsea boot. It's the perfect boot for the modern man, because they can just as easily wear it with a tracksuit as with soft tailoring; how you interpret it comes down to the styling.

SANDRA CHOI has served as Jimmy Choo's creative director since the company's founding in 1996; jimmychoo.com

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