Boston's Designer Shoe Renaissance Has Lady Gaga's Feet

And Beyoncé’s. And Doja Cat’s. How a new generation put Massachusetts footwear back on the map.

Stuart Weitzman “Vinnie 85” pump, $550. / Photograph by Steph Larsen. Styling by Madison Trapkin.

When the famed shoe designer Stuart Weitzman received an invitation to a Historic New England event at its new location in Haverhill, he was stunned to see the address: 151 Essex Street. It was the very building where his father once ran a shoe factory and where Weitzman himself spent summers apprenticing before launching his own brand in 1986. “They swear they didn’t know that,” he says with a laugh.

Decades later, the famed designer has donated 127 pairs of shoes to Historic New England—everything from the crystal-studded boots Beyoncé wore in honor of the 2024 Olympics to the diamond-encrusted “million-dollar” shoe he made in 2002. Also included is a replica of the custom pumps Aretha Franklin wore to the 1983 American track Awards, which propelled Weitzman’s career into the stratosphere.

Kkira “bonche” pump, $1,359. / Photograph by Steph Larsen. Styling by Madison Trapkin.

Thom Solo “Laminaté Ruffle” ankle boot, rate upon request. / Photograph by Steph Larsen. Styling by Madison Trapkin.

The collection will be part of a larger exhibit opening in early 2026: “Shoe Stories: Past, Present, Future,” which explores more than 400 years of shoemaking and design in New England. In the mid-20th century, Haverhill was the largest producer of women’s shoes in the United States; Brockton and Lynn were also large production centers.

While the region is no longer a hub for shoe manufacturing—it slowed down by 1970 as production moved overseas—Boston’s identity as a footwear force is still firmly intact, thanks to a new generation of designers pushing boundaries in fashion and function. Thom Solo, a Newton designer known for his surreal, sculptural shoes, has dreamed up pairs for Lady Gaga, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey, and Beyoncé, who donned his “Rodeo Queen” thigh-high boots for one of her sold-out London concerts earlier this year. “We’re still growing,” he says. “With enough resiliency, drive, and dedication, it doesn’t matter where you’re located—you just need to find the right keys and move on to different doors.” Indeed: Doja Cat just wore his new python opera heels on Saturday Night Live.

The spirit of cutting-edge design can also be seen in brands like Best of Boston winner Kkira, known for its bold color ways and sustainable materials, and in the continued presence of major sneaker players such as New Balance, Converse, and Reebok, all of whom are headquartered in the region. Weitzman, for his part, is embracing mentoring young creatives as he reflects on his robust career: This fall, he’ll speak at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. “I’m in my act two, passing along the lessons I’ve learned,” he says.