Interview with internationally acclaimed designer and entrepreneur, Stuart Weitzman
Over 120 McGill students and entrepreneurs came to hear how Stuart Weitzman built one of the world’s most iconic luxury shoe brands.
While his team was busy asking guests for their shoe sizes, we slipped backstage for a one-on-one with Weitzman, where he revealed how it all started from just a few sketches.
From sketches to the biggest carpets in fashion
Q: What can you tell us about the key moments that defined the SW brand?
A: There are many moments that made SW the global success it is today. At its core, it started with passion. I was a talented drawer in college, and my friend’s father, a shoe seller, gave me a catalogue and asked me to draw new shoes for him to sell. I returned with 20 sketches. He couldn’t believe that! He made me redraw my designs again in front of him. Impressed, he paid me for the sketches, and three months later, I saw one of my shoes in the window of a big retailer. That’s when I knew I might need to become a shoe designer.
That instinct turned into a career spanning five decades. To this day, Weitzman still uses the “blank page” test in interviews, asking designers to replicate their own work from memory, because, as he put it, “I want to work with authentic talent, visionaries who can inspire people to want a different shoe each season.”
Later in his talk, Weitzman revisited another defining moment: the million-dollar shoe. Determined to make footwear a red-carpet headline, like gowns and jewelry, Weitzman designed a pair of shoes encrusted with $1 million worth of gems. When actress Laura Harring wore them to the Oscars, the shoes became the start of the show, and reporters interrupted interviews with other celebrities to ask about them.
While his shoes became red-carpet staples, Weitzman wanted them to be part of daily life too. During the height of Friends, he set his sights on Jennifer Aniston, known for her relatable style. The challenge? She only shopped at one boutique, trusting their curation. Weitzman found a way to get his wedges into that store, making that shoe a brand signature with its day-to-night versatility and comfort.
As he recounted the brand’s history through his designs, students who had been picked earlier transformed the stage into a runway, modelling classic SW designs… including the legendary million-dollar pair!
Growing without losing identity
Q: Many entrepreneurs struggle with scaling without losing their identity.
How did you maintain brand DNA while growing internationally?
A: With more than 90 stores worldwide, you need the right partners who believe in the brand and its uncompromising quality. In Hong Kong, for example, we collaborated with star architect Zaha Hadid to design a striking store that blended thin shelves with hidden lighting, niches for shoes, and a seamless integration of forms, reflecting both the quality of the shoes and the dynamism of the city. When the owner of the biggest shopping malls saw the store concept, he immediately signed.
For Weitzman, brand DNA is about consistency in quality, comfort, and fit while marketing stays fresh and culturally relevant. Whether it’s a Halloween poster in Vogue, a short film across London, dressing Beyoncé at the Paris Olympics, or a personalized shoe campaign for a social cause, he’s always pushed the brand to evolve.
“Take the road less travelled, even if it’s riskier.”
Walking into the future
Q: As we look ahead and with the advances of technology, how do you see the integration of AI in the shoe design business?
A: I sell dreams. AI can tell me what sold yesterday. But only a designer can make you want the shoe of tomorrow.
Today, in his role as a philanthropist, Weitzman channels his energy into education and entrepreneurship, helping future innovators take their own first steps.
What began as a hobby for an “artsy kid with a sketchpad” became a global luxury empire. And now, with wisdom earned over five decades, Stuart Weitzman continues to inspire the next generation to dream big, take risks, and, quite literally, walk their own path.
