Unified Commerce Group  — the direct-to-consumer operator that already rolled up Spiritual Gangster and Frank And Oak — is ready to move faster. 

The New York firm said on Thursday that it bought the assets of the premium, born-in-Brooklyn sneaker brand Greats Inc. from Steven Madden Ltd., which itself bought the business in 2019. As part of the deal, Madden will take a stake in the Unified business. 

Unified also made a strategic investment in Utah-based womenswear retailer Böhme, which was founded by Vivien and Fernanda Böhme and has 14 stores across Utah, Idaho, Montana and Arizona.

The quick pace — Unified has now done three deals in six months including Spiritual Gangster  — signals a new phase for the company. 

Chief executive officer Dustin Jones, the veteran of Fung Retailing Group and Macy’s who founded Unified with Greg Freihofner in 2019, said in an interview that the idea was to always take a “crawl, walk, run” approach.

Unified is now moving from crawl to walk and Jones seems ready to run soon.

The company, which now has more than 30 stores and over 200 wholesale partners, bases its brands around a hub that provides operational, tech and other support. 

It’s an approach designed to get stronger as more brands join — and Jones is very much on the hunt, having set up the business to snatch up DTC companies that need a new corporate context to thrive. 

“We incubated the hub with Frank And Oak, we incubated it with Spiritual Gangster, and we’re now increasingly expanding the scope of the hub,” Jones said. “That’s what we will do with all the brands we acquire in the future. It’s proven to lower their costs and it’s proven to accelerate their growth. The playbook has become pretty clear for us on that.”

While the DTC world Greats helped pioneer once saw scores of companies secure funding to help disrupt some part of the market, keeping the lights on now is much more of a grind for players that are still independent. 

Unified could offer something of a refuge. 

“As a founder you really get to clean up your cap table, you get to incentivize yourself,” Jones said. “Whether you grow three times or one times, the platform is your currency and then the resources that are available to you — whether it’s the backend, the front end, the sales cycle end — those resources are incrementally much stronger than what you’re able to do yourself.”

Jones said the Unified team is also starting to get some crucial experience that can be put to work on future investments. 

“In retail, much of success and failure is based on solving for the right problems first, not your ability to solve problems,” he said. “It’s solving for the right ones in the right priority. That’s where the pattern recognition that we’re developing is becoming so useful because we’re seeing these things [while we evaluate potential deals], and we’re saying, ‘Hey, that’s important, but we don’t need to solve that today.’ You might think that’s not as important as it is, but that’s actually number one.” 

And Unified also a new big backer to help it on its way.

Edward Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Steven Madden, said, “We have known Dustin and his team for a number of years, and are very confident that Greats will find a strong strategic fit with the fast-growing portfolio of brands at UCG.”

“I could tell you the hottest shoe from 1980 to now.” Sitting on a stool inside PMC Studios in New York, Steve Madden — wearing his signature Yankees cap — is reflecting on some of his own greatest hits through the years. He lights up when he talks about the Mary Lou, the big-toed patent leather Mary Jane that defined ’90s style and became an instant favorite among teen girls.

More than three decades after launching his namesake firm, Madden is still the same consummate product guy. Creating is what drives the founder — and it’s his biggest strength. That’s why Madden has long relied on his two loyal partners — chief executive officer Ed Rosenfeld and president Amelia Newton Varela — to execute the business vision.

At a time when industry turnover is rampant, this trio has been together for almost two decades — transforming the company from a single brand into a $2 billion powerhouse that also includes Dolce Vita, Betsey Johnson, Blondo, Greats and the licenses for Anne Klein footwear and handbags.

Newton Varela began her career with Madden in 1998 as the account executive for the women’s wholesale division, ultimately becoming president in 2015. Rosenfeld joined the executive management team in May 2005 before rising to CEO in 2008.

“One of the great things is that we all have different skill sets,” Madden said during a conversation with Rosenfeld and Newton Varela. “We also share a value system. We have certain principles in our company that we all deeply believe in.”

The leaders, united in their vision, have been working closely together to navigate a complex footwear climate. Reflecting on a particularly difficult 2023, Rosenfeld calls it a “once-in-a-generation dynamic,” particularly in wholesale. But amid broader industry recovery, the company is bullish about a brighter 2024.

Tacey Powers, Nordstrom executive vice president and general merchandise manager for shoes, said the brand continues to resonate with consumers for its aspirational design at an accessible price point. She said, “They are one of the first brands to identify footwear trends and can move with speed to maximize the moment with product.”

“We’re positioned nicely,” Madden said. “Inflation is coming to an end — maybe. We thought we were going to have a very nasty recession and we’re not. Everybody’s kind of breathing a
sigh of relief.”

As one of the most acquisitive footwear players, the company has been expanding its apparel business through a series of deals. Madden snapped up Almost Famous in October for $52 million, following its purchase of contemporary brand BB Dakota in 2019.

“I’m excited to see shoes, handbags and apparel all clicking at the same time,” Newton Varela said.
Madden, a master of collaboration, isn’t slowing down on that front either. The founder has always had his finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist, teaming with Cardi B, Olivia Jade, Sydney Sweeney, Caroline Vreeland, Winnie Harlow, the Olsen twins and more through the years.

In March, Madden will debut a collaboration with rising designer Jessica Rich, who took home the Emerging Talent Award at the 2022 FN Achievement Awards. “She’s a young woman trying
to make her way, and I dig that,” said Madden.

“We’re both very strong-minded, take-it-or-leave-it type of people and we get business done no matter what,” said Rich of the collab. “His consistency, work ethic and his business have proven [that] over the last 30 years. Steve Madden believing in me and my brand is validation.”

Here, Madden and his team sit down for their first joint interview to discuss their unwavering dedication to the job, hybrid work and the road ahead.

Why does your partnership still work after all these years?
Amelia Newton Varela: “We’re brainwashed [laughs]. Every day is a new day. It keeps it interesting. If you have a good work ethic and passion, you usually do well here. We’re a big company, but we run it like a small company. We’re always thinking of everything.”
Ed Rosenfeld: “We share a similar work ethic. You have to care a lot. No matter how big we get or how the business changes, we work hard to make sure we stay scrappy, entrepreneurial and gritty — and that we move fast and act with a sense of urgency. That has been important to me since I started, and it remains so.”
Steve Madden: “We have a responsibility to care about what we do and not take it for granted — to understand that if the firm does well, more people get to work. If we make more money, then more people get jobs and health insurance. And all three of us think about that. We think about the consequences of not doing well. There’s a lot of respect for our work. We tend to like self-starters. It was very outside the box when we appointed Ed [a former finance and banking executive] as CEO. It’s obviously worked very well, and it’s one of the things I’m most proud of. It wasn’t done like that back then.”

You’ve always focused on cultivating a distinct culture, and in this hybrid era you’re in the office four days a week. Do you think being together in person is critical to Steve Madden’s success?
ANV: “Yes, I do. We’re in the fashion business. It’s moving fast.”
SM: “I agree with her. And I disagree with her. Like, let’s go back to work. But one must be aware of the marketplace now. The world has changed. It’s tricky. I was totally against [remote]. And now I think it’s good for recruitment to [enable us to get] top, talented people. It’s a benefit. And one needs to be thoughtful about it.”

What are the biggest ways the business has changed since you started out?
ANV: “You’re in consumers’ faces every day, all day long. In the past, you would just see a billboard when you passed. Or when you opened up the magazine, that’s when you saw the ad. Now it’s constant. It’s a complete game changer. The influencers are the ones driving sales. It’s a completely different industry to me now.”
ER: “The industry is always evolving. And there’s lots of continual change in terms of styling and consumer behavior and distribution channels, but I also think some things remain the same. Like great brands, products, customer experiences, that’s what matters. If you’re consistent with that, you’ll be OK.”

As the industry continues to shift and evolve, what sets Steve Madden apart after all these years?
ER: “Product has always been what separates us from others. We always focus on that. That doesn’t change. We have to make sure that we’re also continuing to raise our game in terms of marketing and consumer engagement. But it’s always going to be product first.”
ANV: “We could be in a meeting going over next year’s budgets, but if the design team comes in with a shoe, everything stops and we focus on that. Product is first. Then it’s all about our speed to market and constant testing and reacting. That’s what keeps us different from our competition.”

How has your sourcing strategy evolved with the China landscape becoming more complicated?
ANV: “We work with Mexico, and we do a lot in Brazil. We’ll continue with some China production. But we haven’t slowed down at all. If anything, I think we’re going to be getting faster.”

The weakness in the wholesale business last year impacted Steve Madden more than some of your competitors. What is your outlook for this channel going forward and how important is it to your future?
ER: “Last year was a uniquely challenging dynamic in the wholesale business, particularly in the U.S. Virtually every major retailer at the end of 2022 found themselves with way too much inventory. They went into 2023 pulling back, and that definitely impacted us because that’s a big part of our business. The good news now is that almost all those retailers have their inventories much more in line. The channel is much healthier, so I do think we’re positioned to see a recovery in that business, which is so core to us in 2024.”

Has your target consumer evolved? Where is your sweet spot today?
ANV: “We continue to hit all ages. We want that young girl coming in because once we get her, we have her. And we also still want the mom buying for her kid.”
SM: “We just try to make cool shoes and that’s it. We let the chips fall where they may. People put us into little slots. But the shoes are quite universal. And particularly when you get out of the coasts, they tend to skew older.”

Every brand wants to figure out how to win over Gen Z. Amelia and Steve, do you use your teens as sounding boards?
SM: “All of my kids are a big influence. My daughter Stevie wears Sambas and it makes me crazy. It’s heartbreaking. It’s about what they’re listening [to], what they’re watching — that kind of inspiration.”
ANV: “I have a son who is 14. I look at his little friend group and the girls who come over. I see the shoes they leave by the doorway and what they’re wearing, so I’m always asking questions. I know Steve gets crazy with Sambas. I get crazy with Uggs.”

In terms of categories, what are you seeing as the biggest opportunity?
ANV: “Dress. I’m seeing a lot of closed-toe, open-back footwear happening. And I feel like the girl doesn’t have it in her closet. Kitten heels, slingbacks, and sneakers continue. Flat sandals are still important. In that category, I would say footbeds are going to continue. All our embellished flats have been getting excellent reads, so we’re happy about that. I’m excited about spring.”

Steve, you’ve made many hit shoes — the Mary Lou and the Slinky are just two examples. How do you strike gold like that now?
SM: “I always think, ‘Could this be it?’ It’s always possible. It’s no different than before. It’s just the way you reach them now. The stars have to be aligned. It’s an amazing thing when it happens. I think about what makes a big song. It’s a wonderful mystery that I love.”

Earlier today, you mentioned the viral mob wife aesthetic that’s trending on TikTok. How do you organically immerse yourself in that conversation and other TikTok trends?
SM: “We’ve sort of always had a little ‘mob wife’ vibe. We were voted number-one organized crime.” [laughs]
ER: “[That is an example] where we would take a shoe that we already have in leopard and style it [for the trend].”
ANV: “Sometimes the items emerge. We know it’s a good item, but we don’t know how big it’s going to be. And then you go on TikTok, it’s there. From there, it’s all about what we do best, chasing and reacting. That’s why speed is important when something emerges within the season.”

You’ve been aggressive about expanding into categories beyond footwear. Talk about your strategy there and what’s working.
ER: “Handbags and apparel have been growing rapidly for us. Non-shoe categories are 25 percent of our business now. We bought BB Dakota in 2019 and converted that to Steve Madden Apparel. We’re pleased with what we’re seeing there. And then we also did another acquisition at the tail end of last year — Almost Famous — which rounds out our apparel capability. It’s complementary because the Steve Madden business is [focused] on contemporary styling and [targeted to] premium channels. This gives us a business that’s focused on more value-priced channels.”

Getting the wholesale/direct-to-consumer balance right has been a challenge for every company. How are you approaching this strategy?
ER: “DTC has become increasingly important for us. It’s up over 50 percent since pre-COVID. Most of that has been driven by digital. Digital used to be a little over a quarter of our DTC business, now it’s half. That’s obviously a continued focus because we want to be where our customers are. But [online] is not the only place they are. We’re still focused on brick-and-mortar and on wholesale.”

What is in the pipeline for your physical stores this year?
ER: “We’re going to add to the store base, mostly outside the U.S. [Seven openings are planned for the Middle East, two in Canada, two in Mexico, two in South Africa and one in Europe.] We’re also investing in the U.S. stores via remodels. We’re refreshing the fleet, kicking off with our Times Square location.”

Internationally, where do you see the biggest opportunity?
ER: “Europe has been the biggest and fastest-growing market for us over the
last several years. We’re also excited about the Middle East.”

You’re focused on looking ahead, but let’s look back for a minute. What advice would you give your younger self?
ANV: “Live in the solution more and worry less. When I was younger, I stressed out so much, but I wasn’t living in the solution. It took me time, as I grew, to focus on that.”
ER: “I would tell myself that you can take your job very seriously and still be able to sleep at night.”
SM: “I would say, you know, you’re not that ugly. That’s the answer.”

On the company’s fourth quarter and fiscal 2021 earnings call on Thursday, Steve Madden chairman and CEO Edward Rosenfeld laid out his plans for 2022 as the company posted a revenue increase of 63.9% to $578.5 million in Q4 compared to $353.0 million in the same period of 2020. For fiscal 2021, revenue increased 55.3% to $1.9 billion from $1.2 billion in 2020.

When it comes to the company’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail channel, Rosenfeld said on the call that the segment drove the company’s growth in 2021, with DTC revenue increasing 52% from 2019. E-commerce, which now represents over 50% of Steve Madden’s DTC business led the way with revenue increasing 89% versus 2020 and 181% versus 2019. Global brick-and-mortar comp store sales also saw a bump, increasing 9% for the full year compared to 2019.

“As we look to 2022, while we are mindful of the difficult comparisons in this segment, we are confident that the actions we have taken in the last two years have resulted in a DTC business that is fundamentally stronger than it was prior to the pandemic and that we can continue to drive top and bottom line gains in DTC channels,” Rosenfeld said.

Wholesale, which is also another big business for the company, will also get some love in 2022. Rosenfeld mentioned on the call that the company will be focusing on strengthening its core wholesale footwear business in the U.S. this year. “While revenue in this business was still under significant pressure in the first half of 2021, our sell-through performance was strong throughout the year,” he said. “And eventually, our wholesale customers reacted with a significant acceleration in orders in the back half.”

The executive noted that the company’s second half US wholesale footwear revenue was up 12% compared to 2019, or 17% excluding revenue from the discontinued Kate Spade license in 2019. Its two largest brands drove this performance. Steve Madden brand U.S. wholesale footwear revenue was up 30% in the back half of 2021 compared to 2019, including a 42% increase in Steven Madden women’s.

“Based on our continued momentum and sell-through performance as well as the relatively easy comparisons we faced in the first half, we are confident that we can drive double-digit growth in our core U.S. wholesale footwear business in 2022,” Rosenfeld said.

Turning to product category expansion, Rosenfeld noted that the company is working on expanding its business outside of footwear. He referenced the growth of the Steve Madden brand handbag business, which grew in revenue by 18% in 2021 compared to 2019, which Rosenfeld said was driven by exceptional performance in DTC channels, and is poised for another year of double-digit growth in 2022.

In apparel, the company’s BB Dakota Steve Madden business continues to see strong sell-throughs and increased open-to-buy commitments at its key wholesale customers, Rosenfeld said. Given the momentum the apparel is seeing in the market, Rosenfeld revealed that the company will transition from the BB Dakota Steve Madden co-branded label to just the Steve Madden label for fall of 2022. “Initial response from wholesale customers to this change has been positive, and we are targeting revenue growth in the apparel category of nearly 50% in 2022,” said Rosenfeld.

Pressed further by an analyst later in the call about his distribution for Steve Madden apparel, Rosenfeld noted that the company will rely on wholesale and Stevemadden.com for the near term. “I think as far as our own brick-and-mortar stores, I would place apparel in a handful of doors,” Rosenfeld said, adding that the stores aren’t really built for apparel.

Looking abroad, Rosenfeld believes the company’s largest long-term growth opportunity is its international business. “April 2021 marked an important milestone in our international development when we acquired the remaining interest that we did not already own in our European joint venture,” Rosenfeld said. “Europe has been our fastest-growing market in recent years, and our momentum there has only accelerated since we took full ownership in the region.”

For the year, the Europe business Steve Madden acquired grew 57% versus 2020 and 91% versus 2019, leading the way for its EMEA region to reach $100 million in annual revenue for the first time. While some of its other international markets remain down to 2019 for the year due to lingering COVID impacts, Rosenfeld said the company is positioned for double-digit gains across all key markets in 2022 and believe its international business can be a significant driver of revenue and earnings growth for the company for years to come.

The New York-based footwear company on Wednesday delivered its highest-ever quarterly sales and earnings in the firm’s history. For the third quarter, revenue increased 52.4% to $528.7 year-over-year and increased 5% compared with 2019. Net income was $66.6 million, or $0.82 per diluted share, up 22% from 2019.

Shares of Steve Madden jumped Wednesday following the results and were as high as 9% by late afternoon.

Even amid global supply chain headwinds, Steve Madden managed to pull off a quarter of record growth. According to analysts, its success will likely be even greater once delays and congestion are cleared.

“When supply chain headwinds subside, [the company’s] industry-leading speed to market, combined with Steve Madden’s chameleon-like ability to deliver trend-right product and develop a loyal following, will result in profitable revenue growth and further share gain,” wrote Williams Trading analyst Sam Poser in a note.

Here are three factors setting up Steve Madden for long-term growth:

Expanding outside of footwear

Steve Madden is focused on expanding its business beyond footwear into other high-growth categories such as handbags and apparel.

In a call with investors, chairman and CEO Edward Rosenfeld said that the company’s handbag category is set to increase about 20% for the full year compared with 2019, including more than 100% growth in DTC channels. In apparel, the BB Dakota by Steve Madden brand is showing signs of strong sell-through for dresses, shirt jackets and vegan leather products across key wholesale accounts.

“Our handbag growth is pretty explosive,” said Rosenfeld. “It’s outpacing what we’re seeing in shoes, and we’re really excited about that momentum in handbags, particularly in direct-to-consumer channels.”

Strength in dress

As parties and social gatherings return, dress shoes are having a major comeback. According to Rosenfeld, penetration in the dress shoe category is higher than 2019 levels. And even as other brands continue to flood the dress category, Steve Madden has continued to perform well.

“Opened-up dress, closed-up dress, various heel heights, it’s just been a fantastic category for us,” Rosenfeld said, “and particularly in our direct-to-consumer channels, really a significant driver.”

However, when it comes to work dress shoes, Rosenfeld said the business is still not where it was before the pandemic.

Investments in marketing

Steve Madden is also making new investments in marketing to drive digital growth.

In October, the company launched “Maddenverse,” a brand campaign that features 3D avatars of female artists and influencers such as Normani, Sydney Sweeney, Nessa Berat, Justine Skye and Jordan Alexander. The campaign, which includes an augmented reality shoe try-on feature, is meant to connect with consumers and drive digital DTC growth.

According to Rosenfeld, the consumer response has been strong in terms of social media engagement and search interest, which has fueled sales.

“We’re excited about the new campaign and we feel really great about the response,” Rosenfeld said. “We just felt like, given the brand heat that we have in Steve Madden and this really, really strong product assortment and what we’re seeing in the brand overall, that now is the time to kind of throw gas on it and really step up with some exciting marketing.”

Steven Madden Ltd. today signaled caution about the negative effects of congestion at the country’s busiest ports, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, on its supply chain in the months ahead — noting that such disruption could significantly contribute to a $30 million revenue impact in Q1.

“We are cautious on the near-term outlook due to headwinds that include supply chain disruption, higher freight costs …  store closures and reduced store traffic and hours of operation,” CEO Ed Rosenfeld told analysts during a conference call to discuss the company’s fourth-quarter results.

For the past few weeks, the ports in Southern California have seen record levels of congestion stemming from COVID-19 interruptions and increased shipping volume. And Rosenfeld said the company is seeing shipping lead times that are extended by, on average, three to four weeks making congestion at the ports Steve Madden’s “biggest” supply chain issue.

“For a company that turns their inventory as quickly as we do and really operates in sort of a ‘just-in-time’ model, it’s pretty challenging, and it’s having an impact,” he added.

Indeed, speed-to-market and agility in responding to trend shifts have long been markers of Madden’s business — and they’re tools the company has had to rely on heavily in recent months as COVID-19 pressured categories such as dress shoes and sandals.

For instance, Rosenfeld told analysts the company took “swift action” in 2020 to adjust its merchandise assortments to align with rapidly changing consumer preferences, leaning into more casual and comfortable styles while deemphasizing dressier products.

More recently, however, Rosenfeld said the company is starting to see momentum in sandals and certain dress styles that typically perform during the spring — although he doubled down on caution that port issues could create hurdles in getting those products out.

“It’s been a little frustrating for us because we’ve got some spring styles that we feel very, very good about overall and the customer is really responding to them,” Rosenfeld said. “We’ve got some sneakers that are phenomenal. In the sandal category, we’re doing really well. We’ve got flat sandals that the customer is really responding to and even dress sandals, anything with big jewels on it [and] oversized embellishment [as well as] wovens.”

He added, “We’ve got a lot of different things happening, but unfortunately, we’re just not able to get enough of it into the stores and up on folks sites right now because of the supply chain disruption.”

Rosenfeld further indicated that he expects — although the firm is not issuing guidance — that “a good chunk of the goods that we would have otherwise delivered to wholesale customers, say, in March, we believe will go out in Q2.”

For the three months ended Dec. 31, the fashion footwear retailer logged adjusted profits of $21.8 million, or earnings of 27 cents per share, compared with the prior year period’s $32.2 million, or 39 cents per share. Wall Street had predicted earnings of 27 cents per share. Revenues were down 15.9% to $353 million but still beat analysts’ estimates of $345.7 million.

For the full year, Steve Madden’s revenues fell 32.8% to $1.2 billion. On an adjusted basis, its income was $51.8 million, or earnings of 64 cents per share, versus the prior year’s $162.8 million, or $1.95 per share.

At the end of 2020, the company had cash, equivalents and short-term investments totaling $287.2 million, and its board of directors have approved the reinstatement of a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share.

Rosenfeld joined Matt Priest, president and CEO of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, for a one-on-one conversation today as part of the first-ever FN Virtual Summit, a two-day event sponsored by Klarna and held in partnership with FFANY, FDRA and Two Ten.

“The footwear business has not been for the faint at heart in the last couple years — we’ve had a lot thrown at us,” explained Rosenfeld.

Madden’s chief said he’s found a viable solution to navigating through seas of uncertainty and finding a positive outcome on the other side: “All of us in the industry need to continue to sharpen our focus on our consumer and listen to what consumers are telling us about what kinds of product they want, about how they want to shop for [those products] and how they want companies like us to conduct ourselves in a socially responsible manner with purpose and guided by values.”

Like scores of shoe firms, Steve Madden entered the COVID-19 era having only recently navigated the challenges of the United States’ protracted trade war with China, a dispute that had resulted in new tariffs for footwear companies, which were already among the most-highly-taxed businesses.

Add to that the COVID-19 pandemic — which forced sweeping (but mostly temporary) store closures throughout March and April — and rising racial tensions in recent months and Rosenfeld the company has had to lean into its signature playbook for agility.

“You have to be flexible, have an open mind and be willing to change course,” said Rosenfeld, noting that the company recently made the decision to close one of its offices, which would result in layoffs — although he did not elaborate further. “We’re highly focused on digital and positioning ourselves for a business where e-commerce makes up a much bigger percentage of the overall pie.”

When Steve Madden reported Q2 earnings last month, it logged 88% revenue growth on SteveMadden.com alone, gains that Rosenfeld said are only accelerating in Q3.

Of late, the company has also gotten more aggressive about corporate social responsibility, with eponymous founder and design chief Steve Madden revealing to FN this month his plans to close all the firm’s corporate offices in the U.S. on Election Day — giving employees the chance to head to the polls.

“There is a lot happening in the world right now and it is important that we empower everyone — especially the younger generations — to take a stance, let their voices be heard and allow them to shape their futures by voting,” he said.

Madden noted that his company began working with Voto Latino advocacy organization in the 2018 midterm elections and has extended the collaboration into this year.

Rosenfeld today doubled down on the company’s goals to get out the vote adding that he and Madden don’t aim to push a political agenda but instead want to encourage young people to exercise their rights.

Still, the company isn’t shying away from other social causes like its support of Black Lives Matter: “There are some values and principles that are non-negotiable so we will stand up on behalf of ourselves and the company and say ‘Black Lives Matter,’” Rosenfeld said. “That’s not a political statement — that’s a statement affirming basic human rights and decency. That’s a statement we feel comfortable being straight forward about.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6EPxqhEU6/

Madden said the company set up a corporate social responsibility department last year as well as a CSR committee for its board of directors.

“They’re charged with creating a framework to deal with the issues that are important to our employees and consumers and D&I has been on the top of the list from the beginning and its only gained importance since the killing of George Floyd,” Rosenfeld said.

In addition to the Steve Madden brand, Steven Madden Ltd. owns Dolce Vita, Brian Atwood, Betsey Johnson and several other apparel, footwear and accessories labels.

The two-day online event, “The Way Ahead, is set for Aug. 4 and 5. Sponsored by Klarna, the summit will be held in partnership with FFANY, FDRA and Two Ten — and will unite shoe players during the traditional August market week period. The virtual series will feature exclusive conversations that will arm attendees with valuable insight to help them forge ahead during this unprecedented time. Register here and see the full lineup.

Nordstrom has been at the center of his family company’s aggressive push to merge digital and physical retail in new and innovative ways. In a conversation with FN Editorial Director Michael Atmore, the executive will open up about the changing consumer and the huge opportunity online.

Another highlight will be a conversation between FDRA president and CEO Matt Priest and Steve Madden CEO Ed Rosenfeld, who will talk about the global footwear outlook and how the Washington, D.C. based lobbying group is tackling the biggest issues facing the industry.

FN’s Deputy Editor Sheena Butler-Young will moderate an important discussion examining corporate diversity and inclusion strategies. Amid national unrest over racial injustice across the U.S., footwear firms are stepping up to lay out new initiatives as well as ramp up existing strategies. But even as companies work to chart the course for more inclusive — and therefore stronger — organizations, it’s clear some D&I challenges cannot be fixed through the prevailing corporate strategy.

D’Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole, Darla DeGrace, CEO of DeGrace Group Consulting, and Drew Greer, co-founder of Brand I Am, will join Butler-Young to talk about the untapped business potential brands can reach if they overcome these complex hurdles.

FN will dive into the do’s and don’ts of digital marketing, social media and e-commerce in 2020. Experts on communications and digital strategy will sound off on the right way for brands to market themselves during a pandemic and how companies should be talking to their consumers. Women’s Editor NikaraJohns will be joined by Sandrine Charles, who is the founder and owner of Sandrine Charles Consulting and the co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council, as well as Aliza Licht, founder and president of brand marketing consultancy Leave Your Mark and board VP, American Influencer Council.

Check back for more summit speakers to be revealed in the coming days and register here.