Friday 15 May 2015

Jimmy Choo Meets Jimmy Choo

WARNING to all dog & handbag lovers, your bank account may take a big dip after reading this. 

With 238,000 Instagram followers, Brazilian artist Rafael Mantesso has certainly captured some attention, or should I say his pooch has. A bull terrier named Jimmy Choo (yes after the famous shoe and accessories designer).
Following a divorce that left him with nothing but blank white walls and the company of his dog Jimmy Choo, Mantesso went about filling the walls with illustrations using Jimmy as his muse for the drawings. He turned his personal misfortune into something comical and fun. Drawings such as Jimmy singing, having a  shower, playing DJ decks, sleeping, playing dress-ups and much more have made it on his walls. 
He photographed them and posted them on Instagram. When they started gaining worldwide attention, Jimmy Choo (the designer) came across the images and couldn't resist collaborating with the artist and dog for his Pre-Fall 2015 collection. 
In a brand statement Ms Choo said "All of a sudden, I had friends from all over the world forwarding me links to Rafael's enchanting work featuring his loveable English bull terrier, Jimmy Choo. I was instantly charmed by the way he animated his captivating dog into his artwork, I had never seen anything like it! His work is so playful, clever and witty, and we struck up an immediate friendship on line. I just knew that I had to incorporate his work into a collection". 

The collection sees Mantesso's designs on bags, purses, clutches and iPhone cases. The theme revolves around a day in the life of a Jimmy the dog, leading an extravagant lifestyle. 
And just for fun, Choo designed a dog collar.....
To celebrate this fun collection, Choo released an animated film created by London based animator Jo Ratcliffe, that tells the story of a day in the life of celebrity pooch Jimmy Choo. Watch this fabulous short video below....

 So cute, So much fun. 
Rafael Mantesso and Jimmy

What a clever, talented man. For the lonely out in the world, this is an inspiration: to know that time on your hands and a sad heart can be a good thing. I wonder if Jimmy the dog knows he is famous and Mantesso's wife is kicking herself :-))

Until next time
Ciao for now
Gessica X

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