His shoes have been worn by everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Beyoncé, but legendary designer Jimmy Choo said his greatest achievement is setting up his own fashion school. Professor Choo – as he’s known to his students – set up the JCA London Fashion Academy in September 2021, calling it his “dream”. “I feel very proud – I know my dream has come true,” he told the PA news agency ahead of the masters students presenting their final collections. “My father said to me: whatever you learn, put it back to the industry. So we are lucky we have the JCA – I can put all my spirit and my knowledge, [and] give back to the students.” Before becoming a professor, Choo, 74, made his name with glamorous high-fashion footwear. After moving from his native Malaysia to study in the UK, he set up his eponymous brand in 1996 – designing heels for Diana, as well as being worn on red carpets all over the world and getting a nod in an episode of Sex And The City (when Sarah Jessica Parker’s fashion-obsessed character Carrie Bradshaw famously laments: “I lost my Choo!”) He’s delighted with the JCA Academy, but in a nod to his glittering career, Choo added: “I’ve had a lot of proud moments, from personally designing shoes for Princess Diana and other incredible VIPs [to] seeing emerging designers that I’ve mentored succeeding in their careers.” And while he’s an industry veteran, Choo said he’s still constantly learning. “The best piece of advice I received was to learn as much as possible,” he said, which is particularly important in the fashion industry where “everything changes”. He said: “The material, design, machinery, fabric – everything changes. So you have to adapt. Whatever you do, you must learn something.” Sustainability is one of the biggest areas of change in the fashion industry. “Now people [are] talking about sustainability – how to help the environment and that kind of thing,” Choo explained. “Everyone has to think about the future of the earth – if you spend so much and waste so many things, nature will be in trouble and so will we.” He looks to his students for inspiration, who “never fail to amaze me”. “Sophie Park was one of our footwear designers who made shoes out of plant-based materials such as cacti, pineapple and leaves. Olivia Black and Polly McKevitt both have collections made out of deadstock and materials that would have otherwise been discarded.” Choo enjoys working with young people because “they will listen to you”, and added: “They’re also very down to earth, willing to learn – that’s very important.” In turn, Choo emphasises to his students the importance of asking questions. “You have to ask why,” he said, giving the example of making a suit that doesn’t fit right and questioning why you can’t button the jacket up. “Because you’ve cut the pattern wrong, so your button cannot close. [With] only one inch, you made the whole thing difficult. The key to success, according to Choo, is collaboration – something which isn’t necessarily the norm in the highly competitive fashion industry. At the JCA, he said he never wants anyone to think they’re “better than you, [or] you’re better than me”, he said. “If you’re better than anyone we should share their ideas and the whole thing benefits. We cannot be selfish.” It’s something he suggests is missing from the wider fashion industry. “Of course it’s important to own your ideas, but creativity flourishes when you can bounce ideas off other people. I think it’s important to have a network of people that you can speak openly with in the interest of improving and sparking creativity.” Among all the good advice propelling Choo’s career to the stratosphere, what was the worst he ever got? “Maybe it’s when someone told me I should retire.” Read More The grown-up guide to getting ‘balletcore’ right From tradwife dresses to racist polo shirts: What happens when your clothes become political weapons? Birkenstock or bust: How a deeply uncool shoe became a modern must-have This is shoe designer Jimmy Choo’s proudest achievement See Madonna’s extravagant tour outfits – including an updated cone bra Birkenstock or bust: How a deeply uncool shoe became a modern must-have

Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek were on target as West Ham strolled to a 2-0 victory over rock-bottom Sheffield United. The Blades, walloped 8-0 by Newcastle six days earlier, had the air of a team already resigned to relegation just seven matches into the season. Their visit to the London Stadium was a welcome one for West Ham, who had suffered back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Liverpool. The only surprise was that the Hammers did not score more, although it could have been an entirely different story had the Blades opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Cameron Archer turned Kurt Zouma in the area, only for Nayef Aguerd to slide in and block his shot. That was pretty much their only glimpse of Alphonse Areola’s goal in the first half as West Ham went for the jugular. First Bowen out-muscled James McAtee on the byline and cut the ball back for Soucek, who blazed over the crossbar. Then, from a James Ward-Prowse corner, Bowen had a header saved at point-blank range by Wes Foderingham, with Aguerd’s follow-up headed off the line by Luke Thomas. The goal West Ham had been threatening arrived in the 24th minute when Vladimir Coufal crossed low into the penalty area. Bowen had timed his run into the box to perfection and arrowed a first-time finish past Foderingham for his sixth goal in the Premier League this season, and his first at home. West Ham, sensing they could fill their boots just like Newcastle did against the Blades a week earlier, poured forward with Michail Antonio curling a shot just wide and Soucek narrowly off target with a glancing header. Nine minutes before the interval they doubled their lead after the visitors lost possession as they tried to play out from the back. Emerson Palmieri’s pass along the edge of the box found Antonio, who unselfishly slipped in Soucek to slot the ball home. After the break Archer had a half chance in the area but his shot was deflected over the crossbar. And a miserable afternoon for the Blades got even worse when captain John Egan limped off. They should have been further behind when Bowen rounded Foderingham and pulled the ball back, but Antonio could not find the finish. Aguerd headed wide from another Ward-Prowse corner before Blades striker Oliver McBurnie could have set up a nervous finish for the hosts, only to see his header fly the wrong side of the near post. Read More Tomas Soucek helps West Ham avoid upset at Lincoln West Ham storm past minnows Backa Topola after early scare in Europa League Jarrod Bowen, Carlton Morris and 5 players to target for FPL Gameweek 7 Tottenham vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Ten Hag loses signature strength as Man United’s revival proves a false dawn

At Stamford Bridge on Saturday a number of football legends and celebrities will take to the pitch to raise money for war-torn Ukraine. The first Game 4 Ukraine will be played in front of fans, with the money designated to help rebuild the infrastructure and facilities damaged by the Russian invasion of the country. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky will address the crowd, before a minutes silence for all those killed in the conflict, and the mascots will be displaced children. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Game 4 Ukraine? The Game 4 Ukraine is due to kick off at 6 pm BST on Saturday 5 August at Stamford Bridge in London, will music and lights continuing until after 9pm. While the game will kick off at 6 pm BST, but will be stopped at 6.24 pm to pay respect, with fans asked to cheer and clap to in tribute to the bravery of the people of Ukraine. Half time shows include Pete Doherty and Boombox, before a trophy presentation and live music, with The Pretenders closing out the music before a light show at 9 pm. How can I watch it? Game 4 Ukraine will be shown live on Sky Max, with coverage starting at 5pm (UK time). Sky subscribers will also be able to watch the game via Sky Go. Team news The Blue Team, or Team Shevchenko will be managed by Chelsea Women boss Emma Hayes and includes a number of players from Chelsea including Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, and Claude Makelele, along with current Ukranian player Mykhailo Mudryk. The Yellow Team, or Team Zinchenko will be managed by Arsene Wenger contains a number of former Arsenal legends among other including Robert Pires, Jens Lehmann and Gilberto Silva. They will play alongside Cluj Ukranian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka and former player Yevhen Levchenko. Outside of football, Roman Kemp and Mark Strong will line up for the Yellow Team, and Russell Howard, James Arthur and Chelcee Grimes for the Blue Team. Read More Russia's war with Ukraine has generated its own fog, and mis- and disinformation are everywhere Ukraine accuses Russia of planning ‘false flag’ attack in Belarus to draw Minsk into war Ukraine says Russian missiles hit another apartment building and likely trapped people under rubble The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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