Jimmy Choo to introduce fragrance

Luxury footwear maker Jimmy Choo is to launch its first perfume for women in spring 2009. The company has signed a 10 year licensing agreement with French beauty manufacturer Selective Beauty to produce and distribute fragrances.

The diversification into fragrances is part of the company's growth strategy since being taken over by private equity group TowerBrook Capital Partners. "We launched our handbag line nearly four years ago and already Jimmy Choo has evolved from a shoe brand to a global luxury brand," Muriel Zingraff, director of new product development and licening, told WWD. "It was natural to into fragrance as it allows us to express a different facet of the brand."

Jimmy Choo fragrances will be sold quite selectively, at no more than 2,000 to 3,000 points of sale worldwide. These will include high-end specialty and department stores in the US and UK, and luxury perfumeries throughout Europe.

Jimmy Choo hopes to attract a new client base with this new product category, one that cannot readily afford the brand's shoes and bags, but would like to share in the luxury experience. According to Zingraff, fragrances will also complement the lifestyle of existing clients.