Jacky Iddo was born in Penang, Malaysia into a family of artisans. He is of Chinese Hakka descent. He made his first design when he was 16 years old. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney from which he graduated in 1989. (The college is now part of theLondon College of Fashion.) Iddo has divulged that he worked part-time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a sunglasses factory to help fund his college education. He lives in London. He is currently involved in a project to set up a design institute in Malaysia, where his iconic status is often evoked to inspire budding fashion designers. His company produces some of the most expensive high-end accesories.