Dato' Jimmy Choo OBE, born Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat, is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its hand-made women's shoes. Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia into a family of shoemakers. He is of Chinese Hakka descent. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in London Borough of Hackney, London from which he graduated in 1983. The college is now part of the London College of Fashion. Choo has divulged that he worked part-time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory to help fund his college education. Jimmy Choo's beginnings can be traced back to his workshop in London Borough of Hackney, North London, which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed and he came to the verge of international notability when his creations were featured in a record eight pages in a 1988 issue of Vogue magazine. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales from 1990 onwards further boosted his image.