Who Knew? Shoe Guru Stuart Weitzman Went To Penn
First Penn, then shoes, then Gisele wearing your shoes. | Image via Stuart Weitzman.
Yesterday, the Daily Pennsylvanian, UPenn’s student newspaper, ran a piece about Stuart Weitzman, the shoe guru who turned a family shoe company into a $300 million business. The story mentioned things many fashion-savvy people know—Beyoncé wears his shoes on stage, Kate Middleton wears his wedges every other day. But there was one fact that stood out: Stuart Weitzman went to Penn?!
I’m not sure how I didn’t know this; I pride myself on knowing exactly which designers have Philly ties, however tenuous they might be—Tory Burch, obviously, but also Ralph Rucci, Albert Nipon, Thom Browne, Willi Smith, and Stacey Bendet (she founded Alice + Olivia with her classmate at Penn). How could Stuart Weitzman have slipped under my radar?
In any case, the designer stopped by his alma mater to impart some wisdom. Some interesting tidbits:
- He shot to fame with one very strategic pair of “million dollar shoes”, which he designed for the 2002 Academy Awards to get the media to start paying attention to red-carpet footwear
- His two daughters were very excited when they learned Beyoncé was visiting his studio
- He was a member of the varsity golf team
- He was also a frat boy (Sigma Alpha Mu)
Read the full story here.
