Stuart Weitzman
Stuart A. Weitzman (born in 1942) is the designer of the international, high-end shoe company, Stuart Weitzman.
Career
Stuart Weitzman's trademark use of unique materials (e. g., cork, vinyl, lucite, wallpaper, and 24-karat gold), and his attention to detail, garnered him and his company a global following. His shoes are sold over 70 countries.
Weitzman's father, Seymour Weitzman, started a shoe factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in the late 1950s, "Seymour Shoes" (also sold under the label: "Mr. Seymour"). Weitzman began designing shoes for his father's business in the early 1960s, when he was in his 20s.
Weitzman graduated George W. Hewlett High School in 1958, and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1963. When Seymour Weitzman died in 1965, Stuart took over the business with his older brother, Warren Weitzman. They sold the business to a company in Spain in 1972, but Stuart continued to design shoes for the company. In 1994, he bought back the business, but continues to manufacture his shoe designs in Spain.
Since 2002, Weitzman has provided one-of-a-kind, "million dollar" shoes to an Oscar nominee to wear at the Oscars. For the 2007 Oscar ceremony, shoes were designed for and provided to Diablo Cody, who subsequently declined to wear them, stating that she was not aware of nor interested in the publicity attendant with wearing the shoes.
Label and operations
François Kress, who was associated with The Row, Prada, Miu Miu USA, and Bulgari America, has been named global president of Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC.[1] Kress will manage "the $300 million global retail and wholesale business, in addition to spearheading new initiatives and brand extensions."[1] As of December 2013, handbags comprise 5% of sales.[1] There are 103 stores globally and three websites. In September 2013, Weitzman opened a Milan flagship store on Via Sant’Andrea.[1]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lockwood, Lisa (4 December 2013). "Stuart Weitzman Names François Kress Global President". WWD. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
References
- Company website
- "Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative speaker series presents President of Stuart Weitzman & Co.," 4/18/05
- "Bear Stearns Tries on Shoes Its Merchant Banking arm is buying a stake in high-end shoemaker Stuart Weitzman Holdings, in another foray into retail," 6/29/05
- "US: Stuart Weitzman steps-up its technology infrastructure," 5/17/06
- Cody Refuses to Wear Weitzman's Shoes to the Oscars, 2/25/08
External links
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