Stuart Weitzman Marks Four Decades Of Its Stretch Footwear With A Fall 2026 Campaign That Brings Back Three Ambassadors From The Brand’s Past
Stuart Weitzman New York is marking its 40th anniversary by looking both backward and forward, reuniting Gigi Hadid, Misty Copeland and Yang Mi for its Fall 2026 campaign. Each of the three previously appeared in campaigns for the footwear brand during the 2010s, making their return part of a broader celebration of Stuart Weitzman’s history and one of its most enduring design signatures: stretch.
Set against the skylines of New York City and Shanghai, the campaign centers on the idea of the metropolitan woman and the relationship between movement, comfort and style. Stretch has been part of Stuart Weitzman’s design vocabulary since the brand was established in 1986, combining its New York design identity with footwear craftsmanship in Spain. Forty years later, the material innovation provides both the product focus and narrative thread for the anniversary campaign.
The casting adds another layer of continuity. Hadid was the face of Stuart Weitzman for five consecutive seasons, from Spring 2016 through Spring 2018, and collaborated with the brand on limited-edition designs in 2016 and 2017. Her return comes a decade after the beginning of that relationship and at a different stage in both her career and personal life.
“I will always have a special connection to Stuart Weitzman as the brand was one of my first-ever luxury fashion partners, so to come back now, 10 years later, and as a mom, to celebrate their 40th anniversary feels like a full-circle moment.” – Gigi Hadid
Copeland returns after previously appearing in Stuart Weitzman’s Holiday 2019 campaign. The former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer retired last year following a career that included becoming the company’s first Black female principal dancer in 2015. Her presence also gives the campaign’s emphasis on movement a particularly literal dimension, while connecting the anniversary to themes of resilience and physicality.
“The last Stuart Weitzman campaign I did was one of my favorites I’ve ever done, so I jumped at the opportunity to come back to celebrate their 40th…well, not jumped seeing it was only months after my hip surgery, but I was thrilled, and I couldn’t be prouder to help tell the message of rising above any obstacle.” – Misty Copeland
Yang Mi, meanwhile, first partnered with Stuart Weitzman in 2019, when the Chinese actress co-created two limited-edition capsules for the Spring and Fall seasons. Her return, alongside the campaign’s Shanghai setting, reinforces the international dimension of the anniversary and the brand’s connection to the Chinese market.
“I’m thrilled to reunite with Stuart Weitzman on its 40th anniversary. Looking back on our first collaboration in 2019, SW brought me to a broader global stage and expanded my fashion horizons. Now, we’re coming together again to mark this milestone — because true confidence comes from within. The first journey took me outward, the second inward. SW has been there, helping me know myself better. We’ve always believed that every woman can find her own rhythm, in her own time, between strength and grace.” – Yang Mi
Rather than using the anniversary simply as an exercise in nostalgia, Stuart Weitzman has placed product at the center of the campaign. Hadid, Copeland and Mi wear designs from the Fall 2026 collection that explore stretch across multiple footwear categories. The lineup includes the Stuart Power Boot 75, 5050 Gisele Boot, Ultrastassi Boot, Stassi Stretch Bootie and Vinnie Bootie 50, alongside the Bryant Loafer, Nia Ballet Flat, Vinnie Slingback Wedge 50 and Vander Sneaker.
The focus also returns attention to one of Stuart Weitzman’s most recognizable contributions to the footwear market. Stretch has allowed the brand to approach boots with a closer relationship between shoe and body, while balancing fit and flexibility with the elongated silhouettes that have become a recurring part of its identity.
“I am proud to lead this brand as we celebrate our 40th anniversary, as well as welcome back the iconic ambassadors Gigi Hadid, Misty Copeland and Yang Mi to wear our iconic stretch collection. Stretch is an intrinsic part of the Stuart Weitzman story: It reinforces our commitment to craftsmanship and style-meets-comfort approach to design, which have ultimately set us apart in the luxury footwear industry.” – Jonathan Lelonek, Brand President
Stuart Weitzman, which is part of the Caleres portfolio, plans to extend the anniversary beyond the campaign with a series of events around the world in the coming months, including activations in New York City and Shanghai. The campaign thus serves as the opening chapter of a broader 40th-anniversary program, using three familiar faces to connect the brand’s past with the next stage of its business and design identity.
