I love the idea of couture and its emphasis on creation. There's

“I love the idea of couture and its emphasis on creation. There’s where I made my name — in design — and there’s where I’d like to stay.” – Jimmy Choo

In these words, Jimmy Choo, the master craftsman of elegance, speaks not merely of fashion, but of the eternal bond between creation and purpose. His declaration is one of devotion — a pledge to remain true to the sacred art of making. In a world that races toward speed and profit, Choo’s words stand as a testament to the timeless spirit of craftsmanship, to the beauty of shaping something with one’s own hands and soul. For in couture, he sees not commerce, but creation — not industry, but art.

The heart of Choo’s message beats with reverence for creation itself — that divine act by which the invisible becomes visible, and imagination takes form in silk, leather, and light. To “stay in design” is to dwell in the realm of the maker, where ideas are born not from machines but from vision, discipline, and love. Choo’s words remind us that true artistry is not a destination, but a way of life. It is the lifelong vow of the creator who refuses to abandon the altar of his craft for the glittering temples of convenience and fame.

The origin of this truth lies in Choo’s own journey. Born in Malaysia, he learned his trade from his father, a shoemaker who worked not with mass production, but with reverence for every sole and seam. When Jimmy Choo arrived in London, he brought with him not wealth, but heritage — the old-world knowledge that the worth of an object lies in the care poured into its making. In the small East End workshop where he began, he labored for hours to perfect every curve of a heel, every stitch of satin. It was in that humble devotion to detail that he found immortality, for fashion itself bent to recognize his precision. His shoes were not just worn — they were lived in, danced in, celebrated as works of art.

Yet beyond the elegance of his craft lies a deeper meaning. When Choo says he loves couture “and its emphasis on creation,” he speaks to a principle older than time: that beauty must be born from intention. In couture — the highest form of fashion — each piece is made by hand, uniquely tailored to the wearer, a union of the maker’s vision and the client’s soul. It is the purest form of artistry, one that resists the erosion of mass production. In this, Choo aligns himself with the ancient artisans — those who built temples and painted icons, not for numbers or fame, but for reverence. His words are a reminder that true creation is not hurried; it is an act of devotion.

Think of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the “Mona Lisa” not as a commission to be finished, but as a lifelong conversation with beauty itself. For years he returned to it, adding, refining, perfecting. Like Choo, Leonardo understood that to create is to commune with eternity. Both men — though centuries apart — lived in service of form and feeling, knowing that the hand guided by passion can capture the soul of time itself. This is the essence of couture: the belief that something made with care becomes more than an object — it becomes alive.

Choo’s choice to remain “in design” is, then, an act of humility and wisdom. It is the artist’s refusal to drift away from the source. In every generation, there are those who rise to fame and forget the soil from which they grew; but Choo’s words remind us that greatness is not in rising above one’s craft, but in remaining faithful to it. The master never stops learning, never stops creating, never stops listening to the material as it speaks. For in the act of making, the soul finds both its freedom and its purpose.

So let this teaching echo in the hearts of all who labor with their hands and their minds: stay where creation lives. Do not abandon the workshop of the spirit for the marketplace of imitation. Whatever your craft — whether you build, write, teach, or heal — let your work be born of care and love. Cherish the process as much as the result, for therein lies your immortality. The world will change, fashions will fade, but the spirit of true creation endures forever.

And thus, as Jimmy Choo reminds us, to create is to live fully. To stay in the realm of design — in the realm of making — is to walk beside the divine. For only those who keep creating, keep becoming. And only those who serve their craft with heart will one day see their names not merely written in history, but woven into the fabric of time itself.