Stuart Weitzman

Although he was originally headed for Wall Street, Stuart Weitzman ended up following in his father Seymour's footsteps. Seymour Weitzman started a shoe factory in the late 1950's, and at age 20 Stuart surprised his father with a sample shoe the factory made from one of his sketches. It was added to the company's line, and Stuart's career as a shoe designer was born. As for his involvement with the company, Stuart says: "I'm a real person making a real product, not a brand name hiding behind a corporation."