Build Inc. People & Blogs

How A Poor Malaysian Boy Created Jimmy Choo 0 (0)

From a cobbler’s son in Penang, Malaysia, to the red carpets of Hollywood — the Jimmy Choo story is one of the most jaw-dropping rags to riches journeys in luxury fashion history. At just 11 years old, he hand-stitched his first pair of shoes. Decades later, his name would grace the feet of Princess Diana, Carrie Bradshaw, and A-list celebrities worldwide. But the real story — the partnerships, the betrayals, the billion-dollar buyouts — is far more complicated than the glamour suggests. What really happened when a poor Malaysian boy built one of the world’s most coveted shoe empires? Subscribe [See More…]

Build Inc. People & Blogs

How A Poor Italian Boy Created Salvatore Ferragamo 0 (0)

Salvatore Ferragamo history is one of the most jaw-dropping rags-to-riches stories in luxury fashion — a dirt-poor Italian boy born as the eleventh of fourteen children who somehow went on to build one of the world’s most iconic shoe empires. Born in a tiny southern Italian village in 1898, Salvatore’s hunger to create drove him to leave everything behind as a teenager, chasing a dream so far-fetched it seemed impossible. His path would take him from the back streets of Italy to the glittering hills of Hollywood, where the biggest stars of the silver screen would be lining up for [See More…]

Build Inc. People & Blogs

How A Poor Bronx Boy Created Ralph Lauren 0 (0)

The Ralph Lauren story is the ultimate rags-to-riches fashion designer tale. Born Ralph Lifshitz in 1939 to poor Jewish immigrant parents in the Bronx, he changed his name at 16 to escape schoolyard bullying, wrote “millionaire” in his high school yearbook as a life goal, and built a $20 billion luxury brand from a single drawer in the Empire State Building. This American dream entrepreneur didn’t attend fashion school, didn’t have wealthy backers, and didn’t even know how to manufacture a tie when he launched Polo in 1967—yet he sold over $500,000 worth of his wide, colorful neckties in just [See More…]