steve madden on ‘the cutting room floor’

There are few evergreen constants in fashion. Trends die, hemlines rise and fall, and Steve Madden duping luxury shoes? Eternal. (iykyk, very generous use of the word ‘dupes’ here, lmao).

For years, we’ve all wondered, how does he keep getting away with it? Why have so few luxury brands ever really come for him? His interview with the fantastic Recho Omondi, for her podcast The Cutting Room Floor, finally gave us some answers.

It’s him. And more specifically, the way he carries himself.

He has presence. And a little prison in his past that reinforces his unmistakable don’t-mess-with-me energy. He’s sharp, funny, self aware, and owns exactly who he is.

By the end of the interview, you kinda get why no one in the industry has been able to stop him. He’s carried his brand ‘why’ with such confidence, that the industry had no choice but to accept him as part of the ecosystem.

Remember what I was saying in my last post about the lessons learned from our goop girly. Authenticity is everything. The take away from this episode (full episode available on patreon only) is to stop trying to fit a box that isn’t you. Stop trying to be perfect and flawless.

BE YOURSELF. It’s magnetic.

Our boy Steve did “not” tow the line. And we loved it.

He didn’t hide behind corporate polish. He was unafraid of tainting the brand by saying the wrong thing. He was just a real person, with real thoughts.

He called us, his consumers, his “girls”. And we kicked our feet. 🤭

Steve’s shoes got me through high school + college. He was there for us, his “girls” when our bank accounts weren’t quite as padded. As it turns out, that’s his brand ethos. He believes fashion should be accessible and for everyone, at all price-points.

We’re in alignment.

I haven’t purchased a Steve Madden shoe since those undergrad days, but after hearing this interview, I’m going to check out what he’s offering. The power of authenticity. Consider me one of the girls again, Steve. 🤍