The name Steve Madden is practically synonymous with high-heel shoes and thigh-high boots. He has more than 250 namesake stores all over the world, and his shoes for women are carried in major department stores.
Now he is moving in on the men’s market.
Mr. Madden, perhaps the most famous fashion entrepreneur to be convicted and jailed, served two and a half years in a Florida prison for securities fraud and stock manipulation in the early 2000s after having illegally traded shares from the initial public offering of Stratton Oakmont, the investment firm run by Jordan Belfort. The case was fodder for the 2013 Martin Scorsese film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Mr. Belfort and Jake Hoffman playing Mr. Madden. Since his release from prison, Mr. Madden has devoted himself to the business he loves.
He opened a big new store in Times Square on Aug. 1, with nearly a third of its 2,000-square-foot floor space dedicated to his new focus: men’s shoes. “I felt that men were getting shortchanged,” he said. “We were putting all the excitement into women’s.”
While salesclerks in “I’m With Steve” T-shirts helped tourists navigate the rows of pumps, loafers and boots, Mr. Madden tried us on for size.
Why Times Square now? Retail is not doing great.
Retail is not doing great. This amazing space became available, and we took advantage.
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What’s the future of men’s shoes?
I would like to go into the sneaker business. I think everybody is wearing sneakers all the time. That’s something you’ll see in the future: more sneakers. I went out to a restaurant in Sag Harbor and it was all mostly 20- or 30-somethings. Why I was there, I don’t know. They were all wearing sneakers. They looked great! But it wasn’t for comfort; they just liked the look. It was interesting to see.
What men’s shoes are you excited about this fall?
More sneakers and booties. They call short boots “booties.” One of the newest features on the boot is the side zipper. In the old days, you had to sit down, lace ’em all up and now you just reach your foot in and zip ’em up and boom! It’s taking a little utility influence and putting it into fashion. Our men’s business is great. We’re bringing the excitement we’ve brought to women’s, but we’re doing it slowly.
A flagship in the middle of Times Square is “slowly”?
I always wanted to be on Broadway.
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