Tanners in the middle of Tamara Mellon-Jimmy Choo row
24/06/2015
Ms Mellon co-founded Jimmy Choo in 1996 and led the company until 2011. In 2013, she launched a new brand in her own name and began offering high-end shoes, boots, bags and other accessories that she says put “the needs of modern women first”.
On June 24, however, Ms Mellon instructed a London law firm to send a ‘cease-and-desist’ letter to her previous employer, the Jimmy Choo brand. The letter alleges that a meeting took place recently between Jimmy Choo and leading suppliers, including tanners from Italy. At this meeting, the letter continues, the company’s senior vice-president for supply chain, Stefano Savoldi is alleged to have made it clear to the tanners that Jimmy Choo did not want the Tamara Mellon brand to benefit from the network of suppliers that Jimmy Choo works with.
Further allegations in the letter claim that Jimmy Choo attempted to impose contractual obligations on these suppliers to turn down offers to work with Tamara Mellon too. The Daily Telegraph quoted a Jimmy Choo spokesperson as saying the company had received the lawyer’s letter but would “vigorously contest the complaint”.
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