THE mere mention of his name is enough to set hearts racing – and his shoes are desired by women all over the world.

But after 21 years of causing a stir with his elegant creations, enigmatic designer Jimmy Choo is no longer interested in talking about Sex and the City or his array of celebrity clients, which include Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Lopez and the late Princess Diana.

Instead, he wants to pass on his knowledge and skills to Yorkshire's young generation of fashionistas, starting at the Leeds College of Art and Design, where he was the guest speaker at a Creative Network event, organised in partnership with the Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre in Halifax.

The Malaysian-born designer spoke about his ongoing passion for fine shoes and shared the story of his own career, describing how flair, innovation, knowledge and craftsmanship – blended with business acumen – led him to become the world leader in footwear design.

"Skills and techniques are very important," said Jimmy, who spoke to the Yorkshire Evening Post at last week's event.

"When you want to do something big, you have to have a skill and you have to believe in yourself.

"The first year I did my show, Vogue magazine called me up and said, "Jimmy, we'd love to feature your shoes. Are you happy to do that?"

"I said, "Am I happy to do that? Anytime you want. And they did eight pages.

"Eight is a very special number for the Chinese, it's very lucky. If you can get into Vogue, you can get into any magazine."

Although Jimmy doesn't like to talk about Sex and the City, which provided him with a huge amount of publicity thanks to shoe-loving columnist Carrie Bradshaw, he did share a story about one of his best-known clients – the late Princess Diana.

"When she first came to me, she knew I'd been working for many years," he said.

"When I first saw her, she said: "Jimmy, I don't want high shoes. Give me the lower-heeled shoe.

"I said "why?" She said, "Because Charles is not that tall." She was down-to-earth and very nice."

Now one of the world's leading shoe designers, Jimmy Choo spent his early years in Penang, Malaysia, where he worked as his father's young apprentice; later moving to London to study footwear at Cordwainers College.

In 1986, he established his couture label and he is still active within the business today, working with a team of designers to create the bespoke, handmade shoes which are loved by women all over the world.

He also works as an ambassador for footwear education at the London College of Fashion and a spokesman for the British Council in their promotion of education to foreign students – and says nowhere is better than Britain for learning the tricks of the trade.

"We must teach our young generation. I've made my money; I've made my fortune. What I want to do now is give back to the young.

"You don't work for a business, you work for yourself. That's my message to the young generation.

"Most ladies know what they want to wear. I'm here to guide them. I'm here because I've been working for 21 years.

"I'm lucky, my father was a shoemaker and a shoe designer. The past is very important.

"The best education in the whole world is here in the UK, not anywhere else. I learnt from England, I studied here.

"If it wasn't for England and that education, I wouldn't be here today."