Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting shoe designer extraordinaire, Steve Madden. He was in town for personal appearances and I caught up with him at Nordstrom in Dadeland Mall. I was expecting the standard, run of the mill interview and I could NOT have been more wrong. Steve is easily one of the most interesting people that I’ve EVER met. EVER. To call him unconventional would be quite the understatement. Here’s a bit of our chat:
When did you first realize that your passion for designing shoes?
I’ve always been interested in making cool shoes for girls…I do it for a living. It’s what I do. It’s just what I do.
Very few people excel at both the creative AND business sides of running a company. You seem to have embraced both. Are either your favorite?
You are a woman after my own heart! It does seem that way. Being creative is not just with design. You can be a creative businessman like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or David Geffen. Everything in life that we undertake has an element of creativity. I think that you can be creative in anything.
How does Miami “style” differ from the style of other cities?
Miami is greatly influenced by South America. It’s like being in an international city and you have a little bit of everything. It’s a very exciting city. Wonderful city. And I don’t get here enough.
What trends should we be on the lookout for this Spring ’12?
Fringe.
For 20 years, you’ve been an icon in the footwear industry. What’s coming up for you?
Lot of sleep. <laughs> Well, we’re just endeavored to get better and better.
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Nice work Jewel!
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