From Bankrupt to $1.2 Billion | The Tamara Mellon Story

As someone who always knew they had a passion for fashion, Tamara Mellon has come a long way from working in a PR firm. As founder of luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo, founder of a new direct-to-consumer brand bearing her own name, and author of In My Shoes, Mellon is a game-changer in the fashion industry. In this interview, Nathan Chan sits down to speak with one of the most influential figures in the fashion industry to discuss every step of her journey in the fashion industry. Not only has Mellon displayed an uncanny knack for marketing and branding, but she’s also redefined the way we think about shopping.

Key Takeaways
- Tamara’s true passion for fashion, her first job in PR, and how she was headhunted for British Vogue
- Identifying a gap in the market for high-end luxury shoes, and her plan to compete with Manolo Blahnik by launching Jimmy Choo with the namesake founder
- Raising $150k capital from friends and family, and the first range of 60 styles of shoes
- Opening the Brick-and-Mortar store, and getting the brand picked up by Candace Bushnell and Sex and The City
- The difference between private equity and VC, and how that helped blow up the brand
- Launching her own luxury and accessory brand: Tamara Mellon
- Changing the conversation around shopping with a direct-to-consumer model, and pivoting the business during Covid
- Working with influencers and micro-influencers
- Why every brand needs to focus on customer relationships above all else

✅ Today's guest started EXACTLY where you are. It's time to start building the business of YOUR dreams. Get FREE, actionable advice from legitimate founders on starting and growing ANY Business... https://foundr.com/free-training/?sl=...
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00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Origins
02:45 - Gap in the Market
05:20 - Raising Capital
06:30 - Building Jimmy Choo
08:44 - Getting traction
16:00 - Origins of Tamara Mellon
19:00 - The future of luxury
24:20 - Finding great people
27:00 - Using your personal brand
30:00 - Modern influencers

✅ Foundr is a media and education company that produces content for entrepreneurs, and interviews world-class founders like Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Mark Cuban, Jack Dorsey and many more for its magazine, podcast, and online courses.

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