If Anyone Knows '90s Fashion, It’s Steve Madden
Launching his career in footwear in 1990 by selling shoes out of the back of his trunk, with $1,100 to his name, American fashion designer and businessman Steve Madden quickly rose to fame for his signature shoe silhouettes, including platform Mary Janes, slinky black sandals (now being re-released in collaboration with Urban Outfitters), white platform sneakers, and those “big head” ads from the early 2000s. While Madden’s life has often been the subject of public scrutiny (a character in the 2013 drama The Wolf of Wall Street was based on him) and he served time in prison, and in 2017 was the subject of his own Netflix documentary, Maddmen, his business remains profitable and increasingly relevant after 30 years.
Last week, Madden got real with students at SCADstyle, a series of panel discussions at Savannah College of Art and Design, in Georgia, where fashion industry folks talked about what they've learned during their careers. In conversation with Aya Kanai, fashion director at Hearst Publications, Madden revealed many nuggets of wisdom, telling the audience, “If you set up realistic goals, you tend to get disappointed very quickly, and you don't want to keep setting goals and hitting them. Keep going about your advertising.” He also talked about how he’s scaled his company, announcing that the brand will soon launch its own apparel line (OMG!).
Teen Vogue spoke with Madden about how nostalgia never goes out of style, getting older, and why naivete is the key to success.
Teen Vogue: What would you say have been some of the brand’s most iconic designs or items to date?
Steve Madden: Oh, that's a tough question. There’s this one shoe from the '90s that everybody talks about, an elastic shoe, and then we made all these big-bottom shoes, and now I'm making all these great sneakers. So I don't think it's any one thing. But there was a moment when every kid had to have Steve Maddens.
TV: How do you honor the brand's legacy and still keep your products innovative?
SM: It's not so easy to do that, because you want to keep it and be innovative, but you don't want to abandon your look either. It's a fine line. It's not an easy thing.
TV: How would you define the spirit of your shoes?
SM: Whimsical. Sexy.
TV: How have you responded to the nostalgia trend with all these styles from the '90s coming back?
SM: I've done many interviews in my life and people are always talking about nostalgia in every interview. The '90s were great. Everything is always coming back. But all fashion things die.
TV: How has Steve Madden reflected some of those shifts?
SM: I was really plugged into the whole vibe of platforms in the '70s and how that influenced a kid. So, we brought it back. I don't think we singlehandedly did it. We were definitely one of the innovators. And it was great. It was a big thing. And then we evolved into tailored shoes. They were clunky, chunky, shoes, and everybody just ate them up, you know?
TV: From the other profiles I've read about you, it seems like you and your team really value collaboration. How is that a hallmark of your creative process?
SM: I love working with people. I love to be around energetic, young people.
TV: What about external collaborations?
SM: We did some stuff with the Kardashians before they exploded, on the Internet. We’ve worked with Madonna, Iggy Azalea, the Olsen twins, and Cardi B.
TV: How do you stay relevant in such a fast-paced, ever-changing market?
SM: The better question would be how do you stay relevant when you're so old or as you get older. I definitely don't go to clubs like I did when I was 30. That's one thing. I mean, when you get older, things change. And you stay open to new ideas. You know, it's working with young people, and I'm always asking people what they think.
TV: I'm sure there have been a lot of highs and lows in the past 30 years. What are some of your secrets to success?
SM: It's not a secret, but what I'll tell you is to know what you don't know. If you can recognize your limitations and then [realize that] just because you're good in this thing doesn't mean you're good at that thing, you know? I think that's healthy. And the other thing is to remain somewhat naive, and this is very difficult. Naivete is the key to success. Like, if you know everything, there's no point in doing anything. You wouldn't try anything new. Right? 'Cause we know it all. I like to be a little dopey sometimes.
TV: What advice would you give to a young person or a student interested in pursuing footwear design?
SM: I think that, early on, a lot of designers are very self-indulgent, and they should be aware of self-indulgence. Designing shoes that you like? I don’t think that’s that interesting. I think it’s more interesting to design for the person that you're designing for. You have someone in mind, and that's real talent. Like, if you were a chef, you would be making food that people like. Forge your own path.
