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Not long after it was announced that Steve Madden acquired footwear company Dolce Vita, it has been revealed that another shoe brand might be up for sale.

 

According to Reuters, Sycamore Partners has hired bankers to sell Stuart Weitzman, which it acquired in its $2.2 billion buyout of Jones Group Inc. earlier this year.

 

Sources that spoke to Reuters said that Stuart Weitzman could fetch about $800 million, but as WWD pointed out, that number could be much different if Weitzman, who is in his early 70s, decides to stay on with the company through the sale. If he doesn't stay on, it is expected that the brand's valuation could drop to below $500 million.

 

This wouldn't be the first time ownership of Stuart Weitzman has changed hands. The footwear brand was sold to a European firm in the 1970s, and was later bought back by Weitzman before he resold the company to Jones Apparel Group (later renamed The Jones Group Inc.) in 2010 for $180 million.

(image: one shoulder homecoming dress )

 

Goldman Sachs is rumored to be leading the current sale with an assist from Citi. In addition to e-commerce sites in a number of markets, Stuart Weitzman also has 44 stores in the U.S., 61 international locations and 10 international shops-in-shops.

 

Earlier this summer, it was announced that Stuart Weitzman had tapped Gisele Bündchen to be the face of its fall 2014 advertising campaign. The advertising campaign, which was shot in New York by Mario Testino, depicts what the Stuart Weitzman brand believes it means to be sexy - being confident and comfortable in your own skin.

 

"With her lithe physique, bronzed skin and tousled golden locks, Gisele personifies the confidence, empowerment, beauty and ease women feel the moment they slip into their Stuart Weitzman shoes," a press release said.

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