Tamara Mellon Poses Nude for Interview Magazine
Fashion Lately: Tamara Mellon Bares All
Jimmy Choo founder and president Tamara Mellon bared all — quite literally — for Interview magazine's April issue. Inside the feature she speaks about her pre-Choo career, the growth of the brand, suing her mother and posing nude for Terry Richardson. Here are some highlights:
On her fashion credentials: I was wearing leather Azzedine Alaïa at boarding school...I worked on the shop floor in Browns selling Alaïa. I’ve worked in a PR company. I worked for Caroline Baker at Mirabella. I worked for Sarajane Hoare, who is a legend, at British Vogue, doing shoots with photographers like Mario Testino. But these writers forget about that stuff.
On her business savvy: I think it’s instinct. Everything I do is just really my intuition, and every time I go against my intuition, it’s a mistake...The reality is that I spent years in the factories in Italy when I first set up Jimmy Choo. Today everyone who has a job at Jimmy Choo, I’ve done their job—right down to the cleaner.
On her motivation to succeed: You know, I went through a court case with my mother who is delusional and lied about me. So I guess even in the face of my success, I still can’t get the approval. So I’m still fighting for approval.
On posing nude for Terry: I’m very comfortable with Terry, so for me, it was very fun. To have a picture done by Terry Richardson—I mean, how amazing is that?