Steve Madden shoes have been confidently carrying women for decades, with an estimated 120 locations in America, plus 250 more across 65 other countries. The man behind the brand was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York in 1958. Interestingly, Madden’s interest in footwear began as a teenager when he started working at a local shoe store. After high school, the creative went off to the University of Miami, but wound but back in Long Island after his sophomore year. At the time, Madden felt called to spent more time selling footwear and learning about the female consumer’s preferences to perfect his own designs. People associate Steve Madden with the company itself more than the visionary behind the products, but the fashion icon actually has a very interesting story. Outside of starting a family with his former director of operations (and eventual wife from 2005 to 2015), Wendy Ballew, the East Coast native managed to secure a $700K salary during his 31 months in prison, even...

Since fly kicks have been ingrained in the culture forever, it’s only right that there’s an investment into the community known for making shoes pop! With that said, today, Designer Brands has announced that it will invest a total of $2 million “into advancing action-oriented Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.” The parent company of the renowned shoe retailer, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse will partner with Pensole along with iconic footwear designer, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, President of Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC), to bring more inclusivity to the footwear industry per PR Newswire. “The footwear industry needs more diversity. The partnership we are entering into with Designer Brands and DSW is a new business model that truly empowers the consumer to influence the industry toward that goal,” said Dr. Edwards in an official statement. “Together with Pensole, Designer Brands and DSW will provide designers opportunities to offer new products directly to consumers. Along...