Never Give Up

On Rafael Mantesso’s thirtieth birthday, his wife left him. She took their cookware, their furniture, their photos, their decorations. She left Rafael alone in an empty all-white apartment. The only thing she didn’t take was their bull terrier, whom she’d named after her favorite shoe designer: Jimmy Choo.

With only Jimmy for company, Rafael found inspiration in his blank walls and his best friend and started snapping photos of Jimmy Choo as he trotted and cavorted around the house in glee. Then, when Jimmy collapsed in happy exhaustion next to the white wall, on a whim Rafael grabbed a marker and drew a new world around his ginger-eared pup. Suddenly, Rafael felt his long-dormant inspiration—for drawing, for art, for life—returning.

The whimsical drawings starring Mantesso’s bull terrier attracted the world’s attention, with the images broadcast across global media.

Jimmy the Bull @Tumblr

Jimmy Choo’s Creative Director, Sandra Choi was so enchanted by the charming drawings that she approached the artist directly, commissioning him to create a series of fun, tongue-in-cheek illustrations to decorate a selection of Jimmy Choo accessories. The collaboration manifests in a limited edition collection launched in May.

Now Rafael is launching a book. You can buy the book HERE

Hundreds of charming and cheeky images chronicling the owner and dog’s relationship and adventures, including poses in a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet, passed out with liquor bottles, and as the shark in Jaws. Mantesso’s Instagram feed quickly garnered fans from all over the world and caught the attention of major media outlets like The Times, Today, The Huffington Post, USA Today, and others.

In the book, Mantesso presents a definitive selection of new and classic images of Jimmy and includes the backstory of how the two became such great collaborators.

As heartwarming as it is hilarious, A Dog Named Jimmy will delight animal lovers everywhere.

Jimmy the Bull @Instagram

Text from the instagram profile:

” rafaelmantesso I must confess that I didn’t think jimmy’s playing cards would be sold out so fast…. but, as a lot of people said it cards were too small and wanted bigger photos, we then thought and did a Jimmy calendar…. and its a 13 month calendar, so we can start using this year already. Site link : www. jimmythebull.com ”