No lower-priced line for Stuart Weitzman

NEW YORK — The latest trend in fashion is to create discount collections with department stores but don’t expect to see famed shoe designer Stuart Weitzman jumping on that bandwagon.

“I’ve always focused on what I do, and I’ve never tried to just do business for business sake,” he explained in an interview Monday.

Weitzman isn’t interested in following in the footsteps of brands such as Missoni (which teamed up with Target) or Versace (which partnered with H&M) to create a lower-priced collection for the masses. Prices for his line can range from $150 to about $500.

“I don’t envision any low-end collaborations that sometimes do, sometimes don’t, take away or add to the brand. It depends on who you are partnering with but it’s a distraction, and I’m pretty busy right now,” Weitzman said.

Weitzman’s most pricey footwear was his diamond-encrusted shoes worth $1 million. While he stopped creating that shoe in 2008, saying he did not feel right to put out such an extravagant shoe in hard economic times, he is now releasing “the millionaires” shoe. Instead of being bedazzled in diamonds, they are decorated with Swarovski crystals and priced at a little under $600.