Something is bleeping on fashionistas' 'new shop' radar.
It is a new standalone boutique in Paragon Shopping Centre, with sleek, beige shelves and stylish sofas.

And the chief executive officer of the brand in question has flown in especially from London to extol its virtues.

Two words sum up all you need to know about why you would want to go there: Jimmy Choo.

A second Jimmy Choo outlet has opened here in addition to the three-year-old store-in-store outlet in Takashimaya Shopping Centre.

The 1,500 sq ft store in Paragon (Photo 3), which opened last month, 'is probably the most important thing happening for us in Asia this year', Jimmy Choo CEO Joshua Schulman, 37, told Urban in an interview three weeks ago.

'The brand has made a lot of progress in Asia over the past two years and I'm pleased that we are next to great brands like Bottega and Gucci,' he said.

With new stores in markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia, Jimmy Choo will have 35 stores in Asia by year-end, bringing its total global tally to 100.

Jimmy Choo, if you did not already know, is one of the hottest luxury shoe brands today, regularly worn by celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Angelina Jolie.

Of course, there is the famous Asian connection - Jimmy Choo is an actual person. He is a Penang-born shoe designer who started creating handmade couture shoes in London in the 1980s.

Tamara Mellon, the daughter of a wealthy English entrepreneur, met him when she was the accessories editor of British Vogue and convinced her father to sink £150,000 into a ready-to-wear shoe business under Choo's name in 1996.

Choo, now 51, sold his share of the business in 2001 and recently announced plans to start a couture shoe academy in Malaysia.

Rumours of tension between him and Mellon have never quite stopped but Schulman does not think this has any negative impact on the brand.

Since he took over two years ago, the American has met Choo 'on several occasions to understand the history and heritage of the company', he said.

'We have a very cordial and respectful relationship and his story is part of what makes the story of this brand interesting and unique. But he is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations.'

Humble beginnings, perhaps, are not nearly as exciting as the brave new worlds the brand has set its sights on.

'Tamara's vision was always bigger than shoes. Shoes will always be at the heart of the brand but she wants it to be a lifestyle brand,' said Schulman.

Sharing this vision was one reason Schulman - who has worked for the Gucci Group, Gap and Kenneth Cole - decided to take up the CEO position at Jimmy Choo.

'We want it to be a brand that captures the hearts of women around the world, one that has the potential to transform into a world-class luxury brand.'

This ambition is what sets Jimmy Choo - which has reported global sales of about £130 million (S$290 million) - apart from competitors like Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin, which remain focused on shoes.

'Jimmy Choo is unique in that it offers accessories done from a woman's point of view,' said Schulman.

'A lot of great shoe designers are men. Tamara has an instinctive understanding of what women love and this brand has a man's name but is a woman's brand.'

Besides its signature four-inch heels, Jimmy Choo now also boasts a wider range of footwear that includes jellies and flip-flops. There are also sunglasses and small leather goods and a fragrance is in the works.

Already, bags make up 40 per cent of the business and 'a ready-to-wear clothing line is Tamara's dream', said Schulman.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.