Hardware Podcasts

Steve Madden: Steve Madden (2018)

How I Built This · 23 Dec 2019 · 53m

What this episode covers

Steve Madden, founder of Steve Madden Ltd., explains how he built a $3 billion shoe brand by targeting an underserved Gen X demographic with high-fashion designs at affordable prices, starting with a backless clog. He details his controversial path to going public via Stratton Oakmont, which led to securities fraud charges and a 31-month prison sentence, before returning to the company in 2005 to scale it through strong leadership and product focus. In a post-script, Gabrielle Goodwin and her mother Rozalynn describe inventing GaBBY Bows, a double snap barrette that solves the problem of hair accessories slipping out, moving from a home prototype to retail distribution in 74 Target stores.

Most relevant to

established companies and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Steve Madden, Stratton Oakmont, Target, 9 West, Nike, Reebok
Products
GaBBY Bows, Manolo Blahnik, Balenciaga
Also
CFDA

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