附近上门

Jimmy Choo co-founder has raised a $50 million Series C for her direct-to-consumer women’s luxury footwear .

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London-based investment firm led the latest round, which also included participation from existing backers such as and Paris-based . The round brings the company鈥檚 to around $90 million, having raised an NEA-led $23.7 million last May.

In a , the Los Angeles company 鈥� which Mellon co-founded with 鈥� said it will use the fresh funds towards 鈥渕anufacturing innovation, retail expansion, and continued investments in (the) brand.鈥� It also plans to do some hiring with the goal of expanding its staff from 40 to 60 employees by year鈥檚 end.

The three-year-old company said it saw its sales grow by 136 percent in 2018 compared to the year prior. While it did not provide exact figures, Mellon noted that the company had its 鈥渇irst $1M sales day in October 2018.鈥� Mellon opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles at Palisades Village, but remains 鈥渄igitally-led.鈥� Earlier this year, the brand launched new handbags and sneakers lines.

Centricus co-founder said his firm believes 鈥渢he personal luxury market has attractive fundamentals and is ripe for disruption, driven by millennial preferences for engagement with brands and access to products.鈥� The Mellon investment is one of several Centricus investments in the luxury space, according to Al-Bassam.

鈥淲e see an exciting opportunity to support Tamara Mellon Brand in further developing the brand, channel and product strategy that harnesses insights from data science to unlock the brand’s significant growth potential,鈥� he said in a written statement.

Despite having co-founded Jimmy Choo, which sells shoes and handbags that cost more than some people鈥檚 weekly paychecks, the British-born Mellon is now focused on female empowerment and bucking 鈥渢raditional rules of fashion.鈥� She claims to now aim to cut the middle-man markup by going direct-to-consumer and by forming 鈥渞elationships with family-run factories in Italy,鈥� per her .

In April 2018, on her website to call attention to the wage gap. According to FootwearNews.com, Mellon left Jimmy Choo in 2011 in part due to being frustrated with 鈥渦nequal pay.鈥�

Also according to FootwearNews.com, Mellon 鈥渃reated in honor of International Women鈥檚 Day in March 2018 to celebrate individuality and 鈥榰napologetic鈥� feminism.鈥� She was quoted then as saying, 鈥淚鈥檝e always said that my job is to design shoes, but I care more about the women who wear them.鈥�

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