Designer Stuart Weitzman shares secrets of success with Ohio State students

An error occurred while preparing your download

Designer Stuart Weitzman shares secrets of success with Ohio State students

Shoe mogul offered tricks of the trade to aspiring entrepreneurs

Internationally renowned shoe designer Stuart Weitzman recently visited The Ohio State University, met with students and offered insights on launching successful entrepreneurial ventures.

Hosted by the Fisher College of Businessas part of its LeadX: Unpluggedconversation series with industry leaders, Weitzman shared how he became the proprietor of one of the most well-known designer shoe brands in the world.

"What makes Stuart's story so fascinating is his entrepreneurial spirit, his commitment to excellence," said Fisher Interim Dean Aravind Chandrasekaran.

Born in Long Island, New York, in 1941, Weitzman grew up apprenticing under his father, Seymour Weitzman, at the family shoe factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. After graduating from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, he officially joined his father's company.

After his father died, Weitzman decided to put his sketching hobby to use and began designing shoes for the company. In 1986, Weitzman launched his namesake brand. Stuart Weitzman footwear is now sold in more than 75 countries and has been worn by celebrities such as Kate Middleton, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez.

Weitzman sold his company to Coach in 2015 but stayed on as a shoe designer. He retired in 2017 and now travels the world mentoring young people and passing on the secrets of his success.

During his Ohio State appearance, Weitzman advised students to learn all aspects of business and to develop both their creativity as well as their entrepreneurial instincts.

"I'm a unique example of someone who was the CEO and the creative director, and I didn't have any trouble with both," he said. "I hired artistic, creative people. … You can teach a creative person to be an entrepreneur."

Weitzman also encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to find unconventional ways to market their products and make them stand out. He shared examples of eye-catching advertisements for his footwear that he placed in the New York Times, Vogueand other publications that generated buzz and reached thousands of potential customers.

An advertisement that ran one fall featured nothing but a misshapen jack-o'-lantern with a mouth carved in the shape of a shoe. Another ad portrayed a Dalmatian whose white fur was emblazoned with shoe-shaped black spots. Weitzman said he conceived the ads to establish his label as a one-of-a-kind brand.

Julia Cabral, who is pursuing double majors in marketing and fashion and retail studies, said she found Weitzman's presentation insightful. She said she was especially impressed with the lesson in his famous "Stuart's Dog" advertisement: to market the company, rather than individual products.

"Another highlight from his presentation was his frequent reminder that 'there's always another way,' which seems simple, but with his 50-plus-year career, has proven true time and time again," she said. "As a college student, things don't always go according to plan, so being able to adapt and pivot into a new direction is key."

Throughout his career, Weitzman said he prided himself on tailoring his designs to clients' wishes, such as hand-dyeing shoes to match actresses' gowns at red-carpet events.

"You need a niche, and you need great marketing so that they recognize your name when they see it," he said. "They don't know why they remember the name - because a celebrity wore that, because there was an article about me. Maybe because they walked by a [store] window and saw [Weitzman's shoes], or they weren't even looking to buy. And then when the occasion comes, the name is still in their mind."

Weitzman also emphasized harnessing the power of social media and other technology to determine upcoming trends.

"In my industry, technology's given us algorithms to study consumer preferences. It's a good deal for fashion," he said. "I used to say, my sales staff will always tell me this season's best shoe because they're out there in all the stores selling our products and seeing others."

While industry analysis, responsive customer service and effective marketing are essential, a quality product is the key ingredient of any successful business, Weitzman said.

"If you don't have the product, it doesn't matter what your marketing is," he said. "When you have the product, if you're good at marketing, it's that much better."

More Ohio State News