The media also seized the moment to seek his comments on the Jimmy Choo, London, ready-to-wear line, which he launched in partnership with the late Tom Yeardye in 1996. He sold his entire stake in the business in 2001 and has since concentrated on the exclusive couture line that he established in 1986.

These sassy Jimmy Choo high heels are perfect for your festive party look. [China Daily]

"My late father always told me that if you've lost it, just let it go, no need to cry over it, and be broad-minded," he replies.

The reporters' focus was on a recent announcement by Jimmy Choo, London, that it is creating a limited-edition collection for the bargain merchant H&M. It has had many people wondering if it is aimed at helping the high-end market survive the economic crisis, or simply at rescuing small-wallet purchasers.

"If I meet Tamara Mellon (daughter of Mr Yeardye and president of Jimmy Choo, London), I will say hello to her and congratulate her for having brought the company and the brand to its current success," he says.

Choo doesn't dwell much on shoemaking techniques at a master class for dozens of students from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. Instead, he chooses to inspire the youngsters with stories of his early struggles in his made-to-order workshop, an old hospital building that he rented in East London.

He sold his hand-made fabric slippers at a nearby market to support himself, before his designs and craftsmanship were noticed by the fashion world. People talk with great relish about how an unprecedented 8-page editorial of a 1988 issue of Vogue magazine, which featured Jimmy Choo couture shoes, made him famous overnight and a sought-after designer; they may not know that even after that, Choo lived a demanding and rough life for several years.

"Newspapers and magazines flocked to offer pages dedicated to my shoes, but without any payment. I had to raise money by designing and making wedding shoes," he says.