STUART WEITZMAN
FOOTWEAR DESIGNER
Comfort & Elegance
INTERVIEW CLAUDIA TRIMDE
Involved in all stages of footwear design from an early age and ever sensitive to “what women want”, Stuart Weitzman has managed to translate his admiration for the fairer gender into a distinctive product that has become a veritable global hit.
You have forged an interesting relationship with flats...
As fashion creators, we have invested a great deal of effort into making flats tasteful, so that they’re as beautiful as high-heels. We’re well aware that women are after comfort, but it’s not just about a simple flip-flop, ballet slipper or sandal that “works”. Sandals and flats produce the same sound and smile on a woman’s face as 5 inch heels. What’s more, flats sell better than high-heels and have turned into remarkable creations, with snake skin, jewels...
“MANUFACTURING FOOTWEAR IS NOT JUST A ‘MANUFACTURING PROCESS’; IT’S AN ART, A HANDICRAFT”
You have been manufacturing your shoes in Spain for a long time. Why is that?
In practical terms, it has to do with the fact we built our own factory here and our organisation, outside the US, is here. In functional terms, the main reason is that Alicante is a community that, with cities like Elda and Elche, has been manufacturing footwear for 200 years, helping to develop a tradition of producing quality footwear. Manufacturing footwear is not just a “manufacturing process”; it’s an art, a handicraft. This region of Spain still sustains
that particular virtue, and I’ve always found it to work brilliantly. That’s why I’m here!
Tell me a few details about the production process...
The components which form the footwear (before becoming a shoe) are handled by women who work from home or in small offices near their houses. While the process ultimately ends in the factory, this means of intervention is due to the fact that these women, even though they have grandparents looking after their children, want to stay at home and be with their families. So it’s up to us to find a way for them to work while, in many instances, looking after the family or raising the children.
Where do you buy your shoes?
I don’t have a preferred brand. I often go “touring”, as they say in Italy. If I see something I like while I’m walking down the street or in a store, I buy it. It might not be what I need at the time, but I know I’ll need it later on. Although, in my opinion, there’s one essential factor when it comes to buying shoes: It’s gotta feel good on me. It’s always been the most important thing.
Women’s shoes shouldn’t have to damage their feet. The way you buy shoes influences how the designer makes them, in terms of comfort and function, as well as design
What are this season’s major trends?
This season will be about bright-coloured, fluorescent shoes, if you want to send an audacious and powerful message. Pale colours, if you’re looking to embody tranquillity; and even combining the same shoe with what we call colour block. That’s perhaps the top trend.
Flats represent the other trend. This season, we have unveiled some gorgeous ideas, new additions and interesting features. And lastly, for the girl who wants to be extra sexy, no shoe
sets the mood better than high cocktail shoes, high sandals or sandals with a platform. While this is nothing new in terms of “fashion”, it gets rejuvenated every season, and that’s the very epitome of a trend. The kind of evening shoe we designed for Angelina Jolie, with a hidden, interior platform, isn’t going to disappear this season.