Born in 1941 on Long Island, New York, Stuart Weitzman grew up apprenticing under his father, Seymour Weitzman, at the Mr. Seymour shoe factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In 1986, he launched his namesake brand. Since then, the majority of Stuart Weitzman’s collections have been produced in Elda, Spain, a tiny city in the Alicante province known for its artisanal shoemaking.

As one of only a few designers who was also a skilled patternmaker, it did not take long before he became known for combining fashion and function in each pair of shoes. To this day, Stuart Weitzman shoes are synonymous with style and comfort.

In 2018, Stuart retired after more than five decades in the footwear industry. Today, the Stuart Weitzman brand is part of Tapestry, a New York City-based house of brands.