WEBVTT - INTERVIEW: Steve Madden Talks Affordable Style, Entrepreneurship, Growth After Prison, Supporting HBCUs + More 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:02.840 Every day a week ago. 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:06.600 Breakfast Club, you don't finish. Y'all done. 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:11.800 More than everybody is. D j Envy just hilarious. 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:14.319 Charlamagne the guy we are the Breakfast Club. Lalla Roses 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:16.439 here as well. We got a special guest in the building, 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:20.760 my god from far Rockaway Queens, Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Madden. 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:22.799 Welcome morning, it could be here. 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:24.720 I'm happy to be here. I'm such a big fan 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.760 of the show and fan of you guys and girls, 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:32.280 whatever and and so you got to take it easy 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:33.320 on me because it's very early. 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:35.280 You can't say whatever too, because you don't know what 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:42.320 people identify as. You can't say boy. 0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:45.120 Ten mistakes and I've been here for four seconds. You know, 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:49.560 girls and boys do that a lot. I say, well, 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:52.200 this girl really has a lot of talent. I'm talking 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:54.880 about someone in my company. And then I'll correct myself. 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:57.040 This woman has you know, I don't. 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:57.720 Lean this person. 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:00.560 You know I should say I do want to be better? 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:02.360 What about the people who transitioned in your company? 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:06.800 Uh, you know, we have a few. It's I think 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:11.200 it's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's fine who you are. 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:14.160 Yeah, I'm done with it now. It's the first time 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:17.039 Steve has been on the show. So when we have 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.160 somebody that's been on the show and as successful as you, 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:20.280 we always like to start. 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:20.560 From the beginning. 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:22.679 Yes, right, So of course you're from Queens, New York. 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:25.360 What got you getting? Got you into shoes and women's 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:27.000 shoes and apparil? What got you into that? 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.319 I want to tell you. So we're on the border. 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.679 I was born in Fireroquay. We moved to the Five Towns, 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:34.840 which is right across. 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:36.679 The border, right right through Snake Rope. 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:40.360 And you know, I'm from a town called Lawrence, and 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:42.880 I went So what got me is I went to 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:44.960 work in a shoe store in high school. I didn't 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:47.720 have anybody in my family in the shoe business, and 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:51.160 I just went. I was a stock boy. I mean 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:55.040 it's you know, sweeping the basement. And so that's how 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:57.280 I learned, you know, And I did a lot of 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:01.680 different jobs in the shoe business and worked my way up. 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.080 What made you want to start designing shoes and saying, 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:05.440 you know what, I can do this better than the 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:06.880 shoe designers that are out at the time. 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:09.560 So that takes a lot of balls. 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:13.720 Okay, So I'll tell you what happened. So, uh So 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:16.640 I worked for company in the eighties and I was 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:18.679 a salesman. You know, I just take the bag and 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:21.560 go out the stores boom, and you know, you have 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:23.600 a sample bag and you show them samples and then 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:29.280 you know, so at that time, the the designers for 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:31.400 this company, it was like nineteen eighty six, they were 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:34.160 fighting with the there was like fight. So I snuck 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:37.280 into the factory and I made a few shoes and 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:41.120 it wasn't you know, it's like put that on that bottom, 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:45.600 let's try that moccasin in that color. And I started slowly, 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:48.880 you know, learning how to do that and trying to 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.720 very similar to the music business, try to make hits. 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:57.440 You know, I always compare myself to that, because that's 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.919 what my business is like, is hits, you know, as 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:04.160 opposed to a big canvas of artwork and trying to 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.519 sell shoes. You know, I'm trying to make shoes that 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:07.359 all the girls want. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:11.120 What made you so you were? You started selling shoes 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:11.960 at the trunk of your. 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.640 Car, like like like an artist was so the CDs 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:17.560 out the trunk of his car, and you started your 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:19.440 company with eleven dollars. 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.280 This is true, not made up. But I thought I 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.320 made it up. He told the story so many times. 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:29.680 But yeah, I started with whatever money I had, you know, 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:33.280 and made a couple of deals along the way, and 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:37.480 you know, we put cases in the car, drive over there, 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:41.400 collect the money, chase people for money. I did all 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:41.600 of that. 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:43.120 What made you not go high end? 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:43.400 Right? 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.080 Because you could have went the Gucci route, the Louis 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.440 Vuitton route shoes that are way too expensive, but you're 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.040 known for making shoes that are affordable people can afford, 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:53.560 and that are great qualities. 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:54.360 So what made you stay that? 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:57.960 I was always into, you know, making shoes that everybody 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:02.800 could buy. And and so that's just what I liked, 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:07.240 you know. And you have to be very patient to 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.119 be in the high end business. It requires a lot 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:14.680 of very very very hard to do. I admire those guys, 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.000 you know, and but that's what I do. I like 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.640 to make it quick, sell it. I'm a little bit 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:23.440 of a pirate, you know what I mean. And you 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:25.000 know that's what my talent was. 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:27.520 And the breakthrough shoot was the. 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:31.160 Mary Lou, The Mary Lou, which is in that movie 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:33.800 The Well for Wallston. If you have to get to 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:37.279 see that movie we did and classic it is, it is. 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:39.200 It's a good movie. I was very afraid when it 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:41.200 came out. I was like, I didn't know how I 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:45.920 would be portrayed, you know, And but it was pretty accurate. 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.920 And I went there's a scene where I go there 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:56.760 and and tell these you know, rapacious brokers about the 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.000 Mary lou As if they gave a shit about it. 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:01.080 You know, they just want to make And they started 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.359 throwing shoes at me and doing all this shit and 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:07.799 calling me names. And but that's how I started. 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:12.120 Yeah, how much of your success came from just pure confidence? 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:14.480 Zero? 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:15.839 Okay? You know what came from eagle? 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.240 No? I mean you know, you go, I mean you 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.640 guys know you're successful guys. You know some days you're 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:24.760 confident and some days you're you feel like the worst. 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.039 And that's how I am. You know, it could be 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:30.520 an hour to hour thing. I'm on top of the world, 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.800 my chest is out, let's go, and then I'm like, 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:38.200 oh shit, I'm the worst. You know, you know I 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:40.680 can't do it, you know that kind of thing. So 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.760 I have those things and it has not gone away. 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:48.200 Sadly, a point where confidence became arrogant. 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:52.200 I'm too insecure. I suppose that people would argue and say, 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:54.440 I am arrogant sometimes, and I'm really not. I'm very 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:58.240 sort of you know, I wish I was Actually I 0:05:58.320 --> 0:05:59.719 kind of wish I was that guy. 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:00.920 What makes your insecure? 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:05.360 No, you know, you just think that someone's got better 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:09.839 shoes or bigger muscles, more money or whatever it is. 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:11.160 You know, it's just those moments. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.279 It'sition you could but we're not. 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:15.400 So before meeting you right now, every time I've ever 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:18.040 seen you, like photos of you with like celebrities who 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.120 do jobs with you or whatever, you always struck me 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:22.920 as a very like I'm here and I know I'm here. 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:26.359 Typically, yeah, well, fake it till you make it, you 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:29.960 know what I mean. We call it acting as if right, 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:32.400 So if you do that enough, then you begin to 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:35.320 believe it. Sort of. I found that to be true, 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:36.679 but it's certainly not the case. 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:39.640 And you had had to be a point where you 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:40.520 knew you arrived. 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.640 Yeah, yeah, you know, I had it my first storing 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:47.320 soho that was great. 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:48.159 Uh. 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:52.760 And you know, business getting bigger, more money in the bank, 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:57.040 you know kind of stuff, and but it's it's very uh, 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:01.039 it could be ephemeral. You know. I mean it's very 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:03.640 it feels good and you get like a little jolt 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.279 for twenty minutes and then you're back to what am 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:10.440 I going to do next? You know? And I don't 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:12.760 have enough of this? And you know all of that. 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.200 What helps you in those moments though, because it seems 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.760 like you have a lot more of them than one 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:18.240 would think. 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:20.600 I mean, everybody's got them, but they're just not honest 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:24.840 about it. Yeah, maybe you know. I mean, does Drake 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:25.680 have those moments? 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:28.240 I don't know absolutely, I mean he writes albums about it. 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:30.240 I mean I don't know. I mean it does you 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:32.840 know Denzel have those moments? 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:34.800 We would never know, We will never never know. 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:36.840 Yeah, I wouldn't good. 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.840 But you know I have them, and I mean I'm 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.160 sure the King of England has those yeahs? Right? I 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:42.760 mean I don't know. 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:44.640 But is that what led you to drugs? Maybe? 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:50.280 You know? Probably? I mean I was I definitely like 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:52.920 getting high, you know, when I was younger, and it 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:56.680 was definitely a release is that the right word? You know? 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.400 I was just escape, escape, you know, it was in 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:03.200 my twin knees and uh and uh, you know, it's 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:07.120 a terrible moment. I worked, I worked for another shoe company. 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.120 I got high all the time, and uh, you know 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:13.360 it was it was terrible, but it was a relief. Yeah. 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.200 A lot of that was just lifestyle. Back then. Cocaine 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:16.960 was like weed. 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:22.280 So that's the craziest drug ever. Cocaine, Like it's one 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.320 of those drugs that you do. It makes you feel 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.080 like shit, but you keep doing it. It's so bad. 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:29.280 I smoked some some weed one time. It didn't make me. 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:35.480 Feel you know, it depends everybody's got you know, I 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:37.800 never did Mollie. You know. You know a lot of 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:39.040 people that talk about Molly. 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:41.200 I always said I would do it again on accident 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:41.760 if you pass me. 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:48.920 You know, a lot of weed is very big now, 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.800 and weed for me was not my drug of choice. 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.599 You know. I would smoke a joint and like I 0:08:56.640 --> 0:09:03.600 would think, like I had my pimples were getting bigger. Well, 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:06.400 other drugs are like okay, I'm all right. They can 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:10.080 be bread, you know, like whiskey. You know, oh you 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:11.520 know what I mean, that's that kind of thing. 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:13.640 I want to know what the vision was when you 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:17.640 created Steve Madden in the store, right, because it's not 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.120 just one store. I mean you're in damn near every 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:21.960 mall in America. There's a Steve Madden. 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:22.199 Right. 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:24.000 The other day, my wife, my daughter needed shoes for 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:24.400 a pageant. 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:25.400 The first thing she sai, I was going. 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:26.439 To Steve Madden, right, And I'm like, I don't know 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:28.199 where Steve Madden is. Is there one of his mall 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:29.520 or it says there's one in every mall? 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.520 And she was right, it's one in Bergen County and 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:33.120 Garden State Plaza right. 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:35.280 Close one ad American Dream Mall. Yes. 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.320 So my question to you is, but not only that, 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.040 you're in the department stores as well. Right, you can 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:41.720 go to Mace's, you go to Nordstrom, you can find 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.760 Steve Madden. So what was your mind frame to expand 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:46.400 Steve Madden in that way Because a lot of people 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:49.319 they just kept it small boutique, but you wanted expansion. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.480 You know. I'm from that school of you know, keep growing, 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:57.920 keep growing, do more, make it better. That's just what 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.600 I am about, you know, And that's what I was 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:03.520 always about. I have my little trips that I go on, 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:06.560 you know, but that's what I still want to do. 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:09.000 I still want to grow. You know, We're everywhere, We're 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:12.880 all over the world. I mean, we're everywhere, and. 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:16.520 You're never nervous about too much because there's a bunch 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:18.560 of shoe brands that's been out after you and before 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:20.520 you that killed itself. 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.080 Yes, but not Steve Maddock. 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.680 People trying to get me all the time, take me down, 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:29.120 try me every everything, you know. You know, it's like 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.160 I always tell people, you know, when you have, you know, 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:34.559 kill or be killed, you know, that kind of thing. 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.800 I hate to put that message out. It's not really 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:39.520 what I'm trying to say. But you know, business is 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:43.520 a war and everybody's trying to take your stuff and 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:45.680 that's just the way it is. But you know, we 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:53.319 try to So when I went away, okay, my message 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:58.160 was number one, try to make hot shoes and number two, 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:01.120 try to make profit. You know, first was hot shoes. 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.320 You know, that's where what the company is all about. 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.800 Like when I say hot shoes, the product is the 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:09.080 most important thing and everything will sort itself out out. 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:13.040 So and that's sort of the message. 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:16.959 What I love about Steve Mannon and why it's had 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.480 the longevi of hiss Head and far more going to 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:22.040 be for a while for a long time, is it's 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:25.840 affordable and it's high quality. Yes, you know, yes's and 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.880 that's intentional. You say that profit, but Steve Mannon is 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:29.679 very affordable. 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:34.880 We try to h you know, give the girlies some value, 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:39.240 do you know? That's what we're about, and make the 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:41.120 best shoes we can. I know it sounds corny, but 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:43.720 we really live and breathe and we still do to 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:47.160 this day. And in the factory in Queens that we 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.559 have a sample room there and we're all, you know, 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:53.000 the whole team is just like you know, jamming and 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:57.480 trying to figure it out and and and we have 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:01.840 the philosophies that everything will what kind of be sorted 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:02.520 out after that. 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.960 Yeah, I think everybody should read your book, The Cobbler, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.000 but I want to ask people. I want to ask 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:09.640 you for people who haven't read it yet. You know 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:12.480 your father your father cut you off after college, right, yes, 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.480 and so that's when you had to figure things out 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.839 for yourself financially because he cut off financial support. You 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:23.560 know what made you want to start that shoe company? Like, 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:25.600 what was the actual thing that clicked in your mind? 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:27.240 I said, this is how I'm going to make money 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:30.199 and change my whole complete life and more importantly, how 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.000 did you do it? Like, how did you get that 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:34.240 eleven hundred dollars? How did you know to go buy 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.120 materials here and get shoes made here? 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:40.880 So, uh, you know, I first thing I want to 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.120 say is I learned the business. You know, he and 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.079 him kicking me out of school and cutting me off 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:50.800 was a gift looking back, you know, forty five years 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:54.240 later or fifty years later, whatever it is, because it 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.120 forced me to survive, you know, I had to survive 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.200 that to eat, I had to pay the rent, just 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:03.280 just the way it is. And uh, but so I 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:07.280 learned my craft working for another company, you know, and 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:09.800 then I said, you know I could do this. You know, 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:12.480 it's really just I was like, can I do this? 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:15.040 And so I did it, you know, And I remember 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:17.240 waking up one morning and I had an apartment in 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:20.600 the village, and I had butterflies, you know, that feeling 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:23.719 said what did I do? I had such a good 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:26.600 paycheck every week? What am I doing? And like I 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:31.120 said to myself, just make good shoes and just sell them. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.800 You know, you'll be okay. You know it's gonna be okay. 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:39.760 And that's what it was the biggest gift. The biggest 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:41.640 thing that I did, I have to say. I just 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:45.080 want to say in case anybody's listening, and is that 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:48.760 I was able to bring higher good people, partner with 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.199 people because I couldn't have done it myself. Although I 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:55.120 take all the credit, you know, but I really needed help. 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:56.959 Where did you go to learn the business? You said 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:58.080 you learned a business. 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:01.560 Shoe store, working for somebody else. He did every job 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:02.080 in the shoe. 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:04.760 Business was somebody when you were like in your teens, right, 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:05.559 I worked. 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:06.680 In a shoe store at seventeen years. 0:14:06.760 --> 0:14:08.679 Yeah, you bet on yourself. 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.720 Yeah, well I don't know you. But the thing is 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:13.719 that the messages like a lot of people want to 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.800 do everything themselves, and you know, you got to get help. 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.400 You got to get good people, the people that share 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:22.440 the dream. And that's really one of the things that 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:26.040 really because you know, some founders often get in the way, 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:27.000 you know what I'm saying. 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.600 Perhaps I wanted to know what was your relationship with 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:30.320 IRV God. 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:32.000 I know you guys had a tight relationship. 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:38.880 Gotti was great and I miss him so much. I 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.800 miss IRV so much, and I uh, he was such 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:46.080 a great storyteller and he was he was a good guy. 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.560 He was a warm guy, you know. He he uh, 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:51.440 he was always trying to make deals. You know, he's 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:57.320 always like you know, and he was very enthusiastic. But uh, 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.560 but he was a great guy and he was so 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:03.560 much fun to be with. And he would you know, 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.520 he would say things like you know, and he was 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:08.960 like I always used to joke that IRV God, he 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:11.480 had like a white Jewish man inside his body. And 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:13.880 you know what I mean, because he would I would 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.400 be with my friends and Irv and he would play 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:19.800 gin with them and take their money. But also he 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.440 would tell stories. He would say, let me tell you 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.000 about the time I was with Sugar Knight in the hills. 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:28.880 Like who could tell stories like that? Especially to white boys. 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:32.080 They eat that shit up, you know. And you know, 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.000 he would tell stories like that, and you know, I 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:37.200 got to hang out with him and jar Rule, who 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.000 is the greatest dude. 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:40.040 I know. 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.640 I think he lives up by you guys. He's so funny. 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:47.200 He's so funny. Ja Rule and the two of them 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:50.600 together were like it was like you're holding your sides 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.400 after forty five minutes telling stories back and forth, and 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:56.360 I really misserved. 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:57.880 How did you meet I. 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.760 Met him at a poker game. He was a master 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:02.280 to him and his brother played a lot of poker, 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.880 and people liked me because I was the worst poker player, 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:07.560 very nice to me. 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:09.960 I have a. 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:13.120 Sandwich hang out that was the worst because I didn't 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:14.960 give a ship. I just wanted to have a good time. 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:18.000 And you know, you really have to be patient to 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:19.080 be a good poker player. 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:21.280 Yeah, you have to not go in, you know. 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:22.640 And he was great. 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:24.400 You're not a patient personality, No. 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:29.560 Not patient, terrible poker player. And we used to play. 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:31.680 We used to have fun and I didn't care if 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:34.680 I lost. He cared. You know. He used to go 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:37.800 to the World Series of Poker. So and his brother 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:39.000 is a great poker player too. 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:41.760 I want to ask you something about fashion, right like. 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:45.000 Fashion is one of the few industries where people literally 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:46.360 wear their status art art. 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:49.160 You think people are buying style or buying identity. 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:54.720 Oh that's a good question. I think both. You know 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:59.920 that certainly a lot of the you know mez Goot 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.120 she that they just it's a it's just a prestige. 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.840 It's almost like a uniform. You know. I got this 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:09.680 and it's amazing what they've done. I have to tell 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:15.320 you I admire ermez and and in my world they're 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:18.200 buying style. You know, you got to have the right style. 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:19.520 I don't care who you are. If you don't have 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:22.560 the right ship, you're you're you're out. You know that 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:26.040 you gotta have, you gotta be on it. And so, uh, 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.600 it's it's tough. It's very tough, yes. 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.199 Because because something can have identity would be ugly, you 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:34.280 don't you know what I mean? Like it could be 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:35.760 worth a lot, is what I'm saying. It could be 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:37.399 worth a lot, but not look good, you know. 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:43.440 I mean people rap about Gucci and fear Rouccie. Wasn't 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.919 there a song Austin Gucci fear Rooccie? There was like 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:49.400 one hundred years ago. I'm fucking old. I'm sorry. 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:51.280 You know the one that we know is Gucci Loui 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.560 pop them tags. 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:55.760 Yes, yeah, that's right. 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.040 Yes, Well how do you stay so close to like culture? 0:17:59.240 --> 0:17:59.400 Right? 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.920 And like what did that stem from? Without and keeping 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.000 it being authentic? Like I know your collabs are like 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.840 Cardi and you just talked about IRV Gotti and like 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:08.760 you're kind of embedded in that now, Like where's that 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:10.040 stem from? 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:13.840 So We're always looking to be with somebody that people 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:15.760 would see and want to wear the shoes if they 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:19.040 wore them. And so we've had a bunch of collabs 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.760 that were very good. And I liked working with Cardi 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:27.199 b I enjoyed it and she was good fun and 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:30.639 she was polite and she blew up at the same time. 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:34.159 So sometimes it's difficult they get a big head, and 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:37.879 but she was delightful and I'm glad she had it, 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.600 having a great career. And we worked with a bunch 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.680 of other folks, and you know, we we even had 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:47.960 Gaga in the beginning, and we had love the one 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:49.920 that said I kissed the girl what was her name? 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:52.080 Girl? 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:55.800 I liked it and she was she's a big star. 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:56.760 Now we had a lot of that. 0:18:57.160 --> 0:18:59.679 Is that just a good team that knows what's happening 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:01.600 or like, do you have a like an interest in 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:02.560 entertainment as. 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:06.119 I would say that what I tend to like is 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.440 not necessarily in favor. You know, we have a great team. 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:12.960 And now you got all these young artists out now 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:17.520 that are so good. You know, take mccraze of the 0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:21.840 world and all the you know, and that kind of thing, 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:26.360 and you you know, what's the one? The blonde? There's 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:28.960 a lot of blonde, says motherfucker in her song. Do 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:29.560 you know that one? 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:30.560 Everybody? 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.159 Everybody a singer or a rapper. 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:34.640 What's her name? Carpenter? 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:38.159 That's so funny. So as you said blonde, that's what 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:39.920 I thought of, But I think he was, Yeah. 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:42.680 I have daughters. So I have an eighteen year old 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:44.679 daughter and a thirteen year old daughter, and they just 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:50.280 love Sabrina Carpenter and they love Olivia Rodrigo and so like, 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.520 you know, it's like that, And well, I don't know 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:55.240 if they could do that. It may be too late 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:55.560 for that. 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:56.480 What about Chris Brown? 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:01.119 Oh god, remember when we talked about Chris gre I'm sorry. 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:04.840 I think he's the greatest dancer I've ever seen foot upstage. 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:08.520 And Howard Chris Brown was a better dancer than Michael Jackson. 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:13.800 Oh ship that all was mentioned Chris Brown, And I 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.480 don't know why the Howard audience reacted through like they 0:20:17.480 --> 0:20:18.000 did not. 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:26.879 Dance. Howard HBCU campus very like, uh, I don't. 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:27.879 Know if you call him woke. 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:30.000 I feel like that words played out, But like, you know, 0:20:30.040 --> 0:20:32.119 because of Chris Brown's past, you probably find a lot 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:33.840 of the black women at Howard that are like, we 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:34.680 don't want to hear about home. 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:37.520 Yes, but damn, but I'm just watching him dance. 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:38.800 I understand what you mean. 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:41.440 But I know the man Howard I could I could 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:42.480 see the girls being. 0:20:42.359 --> 0:20:46.879 Like I was like, I'm sorry, probably down. Just like 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:48.399 Chris Brown, I think he's amazing. 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:50.159 So do I do you really think that he's a 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:51.280 better dancer than Michael Jackson. 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.800 I do. I think that he's got more athletic skills. 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:58.240 I think he really Of course Michael was amazing. Yeah, 0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:01.879 you know what I'm saying. Michael was breathtaking to watch Michael. 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:05.159 I'm the same age as Michael. I feel like I 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:06.400 grew up with Michael Jackson. 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:06.680 You know. 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:08.080 I used to watch it when I was a little 0:21:08.160 --> 0:21:10.960 boy and we were like twelve together. I feel like, 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:13.159 and he would do stuff and it would be like, 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:16.400 oh my god, he's you know, if he was on TV, 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:22.960 it's like, hey, Michaels, you know, but Chris Brown, geez, 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:25.520 I'll get. 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:31.960 To Yeah, he's a better answer. He was probably laughing. 0:21:32.119 --> 0:21:34.520 I was taking it in because I was like, I 0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:37.080 didn't expect the audience of these young people to be 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:39.440 upset about Chris Brown before you even said to Michael 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:41.480 Jackson because him mentioning Chris Brown. 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:42.840 They were like, yeah, like. 0:21:42.960 --> 0:21:45.400 Chris is different. Chris, Chris is different. 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:47.720 Like if you really watch his videos and watch his 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:50.040 dance routines and the things he's able to do, and 0:21:50.400 --> 0:21:52.280 not just look at Michael Jackson who he is. 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:54.760 Chris is busy and does not gets out of performing. 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:58.920 No, Chris biz and he does different things different times. 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:00.360 But Christmas, I. 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:03.720 Want to ask America, America. Clearly, America should believe in 0:22:03.760 --> 0:22:08.879 second chances. Right, do you think America really loves second 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.120 chances or does it just love comeback stories when they 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:13.199 make money. 0:22:14.480 --> 0:22:20.359 Well, boy, yeah, I think you might be right because 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:22.359 if I faild people can't give a shit about me, 0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:24.840 maybe you know, then wear my shoes to be like yeah, 0:22:25.280 --> 0:22:27.920 like I did this in prison, you know what I mean. 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:31.720 But people, but we are allowed to have a second chance. 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:34.760 I think that we you know, I mean, so many 0:22:34.760 --> 0:22:38.320 people have had second chances. And it's a great thing 0:22:38.359 --> 0:22:41.080 about our country, right, you know, it is a country 0:22:41.080 --> 0:22:41.800 of second chances. 0:22:42.480 --> 0:22:45.680 Right, So look ahead, I wanted to ask, you know, 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:47.560 you tell my second chance? Continue what you're saying. I 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:48.919 want to ask something that you said. And I was 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:53.000 curious of why men's shoes get into the men's line. 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:55.719 Were you ever scared to leave what your base was? 0:22:56.000 --> 0:23:00.240 You know, I, uh, men, women buy like eight and 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:04.000 want over men, damn right, And so I focused on women's. 0:23:04.080 --> 0:23:05.960 But we have a nice little men's business and we 0:23:06.040 --> 0:23:09.800 try to you know, I have some good shoes and 0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:11.359 we have a whole team that works on that, and 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:14.040 I'm wearing them right now. And you know, I'm gonna 0:23:14.040 --> 0:23:16.240 show you. I'm gonna do a little modeling here with 0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:23.240 my leg because I'm so Steve Madden. 0:23:25.960 --> 0:23:26.480 I love it. 0:23:26.480 --> 0:23:29.120 It's about one hundred and forty dollars something like that. 0:23:29.680 --> 0:23:32.600 It's very good. Yes, do you do a parrel as well? Yes? 0:23:32.640 --> 0:23:32.840 I do? 0:23:32.920 --> 0:23:34.440 And how does their peril do because you know, most 0:23:34.440 --> 0:23:37.480 people are associated like shoe shoe, shoeshoe shoes, but stepping 0:23:37.520 --> 0:23:38.359 outside of that. 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:42.680 You know our parrel does well. Yeah, we're doing well. 0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:45.520 We have good people over there. I was afraid of that. 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:48.800 I have to tell you. I didn't want to overdo it. 0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:50.600 I just kind of when I started and I had 0:23:50.600 --> 0:23:53.600 a little success in shoes, and I thought, well, I 0:23:53.640 --> 0:23:56.920 don't want to be like you know, Calvin Klein or 0:23:57.000 --> 0:23:59.480 Pierre Karden my name. You know, I kind of want to. 0:24:00.160 --> 0:24:02.840 I wanted to make pajamas and shoes. That was like 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:05.800 my thing, just like cool pajamas because I didn't see any. 0:24:06.000 --> 0:24:08.800 But it, you know, business takes over and people offer 0:24:08.840 --> 0:24:11.720 you all sorts of stuff and uh. And so we 0:24:11.760 --> 0:24:14.840 went into clothing and we're in handbags and all sorts 0:24:14.840 --> 0:24:19.200 of linens and all sorts of stuff. Gott to make, 0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:21.639 you know, make a little money that way. Yeah, but 0:24:21.720 --> 0:24:24.919 our focus is we have a lot of business. But 0:24:25.040 --> 0:24:28.360 what I love is making girls shoes for the girl. 0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:31.720 That's what the girl, That's what I wake up thinking about. 0:24:31.800 --> 0:24:31.960 You know. 0:24:32.040 --> 0:24:33.920 The crazy thing is well one I had a question 0:24:34.000 --> 0:24:36.159 when when you were arrested, did you think it was 0:24:36.200 --> 0:24:37.879 over for your company? Did you say it's it's a 0:24:37.920 --> 0:24:40.440 wrap And what was your mind frame during that time? 0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:42.919 And did you have to build a back No? 0:24:43.240 --> 0:24:46.840 So what I did was just very quickly I thought 0:24:46.880 --> 0:24:50.320 it was over for me and for the company, that's it. 0:24:50.920 --> 0:24:53.520 And then you know I had put I had great 0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.520 people there that I had taught. Really people have been 0:24:56.520 --> 0:24:59.040 with me forever, and I get way too much credit. 0:24:59.119 --> 0:25:02.960 And and so they kept it going. You know, they 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:06.119 didn't grow a ton, but they kind of kept. 0:25:05.840 --> 0:25:06.520 It, kept it. 0:25:06.600 --> 0:25:08.760 We didn't go backwards. They did good. So when I 0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:13.200 came out, you know, I was able to be really 0:25:13.240 --> 0:25:16.080 exploded because they had done the hard work when I 0:25:16.119 --> 0:25:19.680 was away. And yeah, I really did think it was over. 0:25:19.800 --> 0:25:21.679 That one in the downfalls of having your name out 0:25:21.680 --> 0:25:25.600 of the brain, like your actual name, let me go 0:25:25.600 --> 0:25:26.040 to prison. 0:25:26.040 --> 0:25:30.760 It is that guy you think about it. 0:25:32.320 --> 0:25:35.199 No, you know it was too late. Everything happened, and 0:25:35.400 --> 0:25:39.640 you know, you know everything, I've been lucky. I've been 0:25:39.680 --> 0:25:42.440 so lucky, and I was. Look, I met a lot 0:25:42.440 --> 0:25:44.399 of good guys. And when I was away, you know, 0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:51.040 that influenced me and gave me perspective and and I 0:25:51.080 --> 0:25:55.359 think every and made me more successful. And when I 0:25:55.400 --> 0:25:57.320 got out, in a way, you know, I had a 0:25:57.359 --> 0:26:02.400 little bit more you know, depth, perhaps seen a lot 0:26:02.400 --> 0:26:08.680 of suffering and unfairness and uh, you know, so gave 0:26:08.720 --> 0:26:11.159 you purpose. It did a little bit. I want to 0:26:11.160 --> 0:26:14.359 say one thing about human beings. I just want to say, 0:26:14.840 --> 0:26:18.440 like you have nothing in prison, You eat shitty food 0:26:18.520 --> 0:26:21.320 and eat bad food, and it's really bad. And you 0:26:21.400 --> 0:26:23.720 said Oh god, I can't wait to get out, you know. 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:27.280 And and like six months lady, you're out and you're 0:26:27.280 --> 0:26:29.640 eating a steak and it's too burnt, and you complain 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:32.800 about it. You know what I'm saying, my sting. You know, 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:35.639 that's like sort of human being kind of stuff. But 0:26:35.720 --> 0:26:39.160 you try not to you try to not be that way. 0:26:39.200 --> 0:26:44.359 But it can't help but match with my steak eating 0:26:44.920 --> 0:26:49.480 slop six months ago. 0:26:47.640 --> 0:26:56.320 But oh, he's showing him Atlanta te se. 0:26:56.440 --> 0:26:59.200 What I mean is showing him ain't c LT. 0:27:03.119 --> 0:27:03.840 Yeah, that's sad. 0:27:04.200 --> 0:27:05.840 What is that? 0:27:05.880 --> 0:27:06.520 That's so said? 0:27:07.160 --> 0:27:09.720 Making them suck everybody's penis and the barracks. 0:27:10.040 --> 0:27:17.800 Heard, that's okay. I've seen some bad ship. I've seen 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:24.760 some tough stuff. I've seen some bad things, and so 0:27:25.480 --> 0:27:27.840 I'm gonna tell you something real quick. You can't show 0:27:28.359 --> 0:27:31.840 yourself to another inmate. It's a sign. It's it's a sign. 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.640 You know what I'm saying. Can't do it. You gotta cut. 0:27:35.880 --> 0:27:41.080 I've seen big dudes sweatshirts, hats. They don't show ship, 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:44.760 no real you know, guys, even when they go to 0:27:44.800 --> 0:27:48.240 the weight pile, they're like got shirts on. Nobody nobody's 0:27:48.280 --> 0:27:51.360 peeling it's not a you know, it's not a thing 0:27:51.400 --> 0:27:51.639 you do. 0:27:52.119 --> 0:27:54.159 You know your business went up so much after you 0:27:54.240 --> 0:27:56.359 came home. Do you feel like personally you took a 0:27:56.359 --> 0:27:58.440 step back from like spotlight because. 0:27:58.760 --> 0:28:00.680 You know, actually got a little bit more famous at 0:28:00.680 --> 0:28:05.520 some point, you know, and you know, so I don't know, 0:28:05.600 --> 0:28:10.119 it's back and forth. Uh. You know, Martha Stewart went 0:28:10.160 --> 0:28:12.280 away when I went away, so we had a similar 0:28:12.280 --> 0:28:17.200 sort of path and and it was almost exact same time. 0:28:17.320 --> 0:28:20.400 You know, she's a big star to star's a big star. 0:28:20.560 --> 0:28:22.760 She's a big star now. But she had a dip 0:28:22.840 --> 0:28:25.280 there for a minute. People were hating on it, you 0:28:25.359 --> 0:28:28.280 know what I'm saying. And so I kind of like 0:28:28.400 --> 0:28:31.800 went a little on the low when I got out, 0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:34.320 like stayed out of the spotlight, you know, didn't want 0:28:34.320 --> 0:28:38.239 to and kind of went that way. And then our 0:28:38.240 --> 0:28:41.120 business was so good I kind of got I was 0:28:41.160 --> 0:28:42.840 forced to come out. Yeah. 0:28:43.240 --> 0:28:45.280 You know, America loves comebacks. 0:28:45.320 --> 0:28:48.560 We love well, we used to love comebacks and redemption stories. 0:28:48.600 --> 0:28:51.920 Nowadays everybody just wants to cancel you for bullshit, But 0:28:52.240 --> 0:28:54.200 back then we used to love a good redemption story. 0:28:54.560 --> 0:28:57.760 Well, you know, it's we do. It's great it's wonderful 0:28:57.800 --> 0:29:01.040 because everybody makes mistakes. I mean, you know, you're just 0:29:01.400 --> 0:29:04.800 and uh and even bringing Chris Brown's name up, it's like, oh, 0:29:05.120 --> 0:29:07.520 should I bring it? Like, you know, should I bring 0:29:07.560 --> 0:29:08.120 his name up? 0:29:08.240 --> 0:29:08.520 You know? 0:29:08.960 --> 0:29:11.280 But I'm really you know, I just think he's a 0:29:11.280 --> 0:29:11.720 good dance. 0:29:11.960 --> 0:29:14.040 It's like your knowledge on him for his talent. 0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:17.000 Yeah, yeah, I hope he gets well yeah all that. 0:29:17.080 --> 0:29:19.600 But I'm just saying, you know, so it's a it's 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:24.720 a difficult culture, you know. And uh, and so even 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:26.960 you know, you just have to be careful all the time. 0:29:27.240 --> 0:29:30.440 One false move and you know you're cooked. 0:29:30.760 --> 0:29:32.720 I remember when you did the Cutting Room Floor podcast 0:29:32.960 --> 0:29:34.560 and I was like, black people like they've never seen 0:29:34.640 --> 0:29:37.200 him before. But then I saw TikTokers and people saying 0:29:37.200 --> 0:29:39.240 it's because you kind of got a little low after 0:29:39.280 --> 0:29:41.440 you came home. But you remember that response, like you 0:29:41.440 --> 0:29:44.160 did the podcast, everybody it was really black people that are. 0:29:44.000 --> 0:29:45.400 Like, oh, this is Steve Madden. 0:29:45.560 --> 0:29:46.560 Yeah, And it was. 0:29:46.480 --> 0:29:49.480 Like it was it was really black people, and it 0:29:49.640 --> 0:29:54.640 was it was just like it was they were making 0:29:54.680 --> 0:29:58.280 tiktoks about they were and it was so gratifying. It 0:29:58.320 --> 0:30:02.400 was so great, and I didn't think I did that good. 0:30:02.400 --> 0:30:04.880 When I was on I was, you know, I remember 0:30:04.960 --> 0:30:07.840 she said, what's the shoe you copied? And I thought, 0:30:07.840 --> 0:30:11.800 oh god, I'm cooked. It's Chanel and I make it. 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:14.360 So what, you know, all my girls can buy it, 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:17.800 so what, and they just went crazy. They ended up 0:30:18.040 --> 0:30:20.320 It was wonderful. It was really so great when. 0:30:20.120 --> 0:30:21.080 You begin of TikTok. 0:30:21.120 --> 0:30:23.480 I also saw a video on TikTok where you went 0:30:23.480 --> 0:30:26.040 in the store and one of your stores and you 0:30:26.080 --> 0:30:28.480 had purchased a shoe and a girl was like, thank you, Like, 0:30:28.680 --> 0:30:30.920 didn't she didn't notice you were a little young girl, 0:30:30.920 --> 0:30:33.800 didn't notice who you were. Do you like that people 0:30:33.880 --> 0:30:37.840 don't off the bed, like associate your face with your book. 0:30:38.280 --> 0:30:40.360 I do like it. I used to not like it. 0:30:40.560 --> 0:30:42.520 I wanted everybody to know who I was, you know, 0:30:42.720 --> 0:30:45.040 kind of thing, right, But now it's kind of cool 0:30:45.160 --> 0:30:48.240 to kind of sneak into a store. And of course 0:30:48.280 --> 0:30:51.520 when they ask you, because I'm older than by double 0:30:51.600 --> 0:30:54.520 everybody that works and stuff, that was this old white 0:30:54.600 --> 0:30:56.640 dude here. You know what I'm saying. But so at 0:30:56.680 --> 0:30:58.760 some point I have to say, you know that's me. 0:30:59.320 --> 0:31:00.280 Your credit card, said Steve. 0:31:01.560 --> 0:31:03.280 They think it's like a company card like when. 0:31:03.160 --> 0:31:07.240 Wet and I do like that, but I didn't. 0:31:07.680 --> 0:31:09.720 What about the conversation around Steve Matten when it comes 0:31:09.760 --> 0:31:11.440 to the business like what you just mentioned, like the 0:31:11.560 --> 0:31:13.480 remix right, because there's a good side of it where 0:31:13.520 --> 0:31:15.200 people are like, okay, this is affordable. But then there 0:31:15.200 --> 0:31:17.120 are the other side of it where you have independent 0:31:17.160 --> 0:31:20.680 designers like I remember the brother Bellyes thing, like different 0:31:20.680 --> 0:31:22.200 designers who speak out and say, well, these are our 0:31:22.200 --> 0:31:23.600 shoes and we don't get credit. 0:31:23.480 --> 0:31:26.760 Major fashion as is too. You got by like Alexander McQueen. 0:31:26.800 --> 0:31:33.560 And I'm always kidding, uh I. I would say that 0:31:34.160 --> 0:31:37.960 we do a lot of original designs, and we definitely 0:31:38.000 --> 0:31:38.840 do some dupes. 0:31:39.600 --> 0:31:40.880 And don't say that. 0:31:46.760 --> 0:31:48.320 You take my library card away. 0:31:49.480 --> 0:31:50.160 Everybody does. 0:31:50.240 --> 0:31:55.160 Do you have to settle out serious? 0:31:55.440 --> 0:31:58.280 You know when we do twists on them too, we 0:31:58.400 --> 0:32:01.200 try to give you a little you know, I mean, 0:32:02.120 --> 0:32:04.880 that's it. You know, I make shoes for ninety bucks, 0:32:04.920 --> 0:32:08.840 one hundred and twenty bucks. You know, people love them, 0:32:08.840 --> 0:32:12.200 and you know I'm trying to pay the rent, you know, 0:32:12.440 --> 0:32:13.960 I mean really, I mean you've. 0:32:13.840 --> 0:32:14.760 Been paying around a long time. 0:32:14.800 --> 0:32:16.520 See the family to. 0:32:16.520 --> 0:32:19.800 Do it, the girls trying to play to pay the 0:32:19.880 --> 0:32:22.240 rent too, and you can afford to pay Steve Mantons 0:32:22.520 --> 0:32:24.400 and deep but not deep, and then I. 0:32:24.320 --> 0:32:26.720 Can pay running from the designers who were like trying 0:32:26.760 --> 0:32:28.800 to build to where you are, to feel like you 0:32:28.840 --> 0:32:31.680 have the bigger platform. And then but we rather work 0:32:31.720 --> 0:32:34.000 together versus you have it on your platform and no 0:32:34.000 --> 0:32:35.960 one knows that the inspiration came from us. 0:32:36.120 --> 0:32:36.479 Yeah. 0:32:37.000 --> 0:32:39.520 Yes, sometimes do you ever feel in those moments like 0:32:39.520 --> 0:32:41.240 have you ever been like, okay, well let's just partner 0:32:41.360 --> 0:32:41.680 or like. 0:32:41.880 --> 0:32:43.800 I would love to do that, you know, I would 0:32:43.840 --> 0:32:46.320 love to people always think I've had this thing, whether 0:32:46.360 --> 0:32:49.520 people think I'm just this big pirate, you know, this 0:32:49.720 --> 0:32:50.480 monster guy. 0:32:50.560 --> 0:32:52.080 So some of them, that was some of the tiktoks. 0:32:52.200 --> 0:32:53.680 It was like, yo, he looks like he and the mob. 0:32:53.960 --> 0:32:57.760 Yeah, yeah, I'm not. And I feel those people and 0:32:57.920 --> 0:33:00.400 I and I and I even talked, we talk about 0:33:00.480 --> 0:33:03.240 having a little maybe you know, a little venture fund 0:33:03.280 --> 0:33:06.200 for some small guys, and we do it. We've done it, 0:33:06.320 --> 0:33:11.760 and it's something to think about. I'm not, you know, 0:33:12.160 --> 0:33:16.640 a rapacious, rapacious I love that word, rapacious, vulture. You know, 0:33:16.680 --> 0:33:21.479 I'm just trying to make good shoes, you know, and 0:33:21.520 --> 0:33:24.920 that's it. And I do not to be such a 0:33:24.920 --> 0:33:27.680 wind bag here. I just want to know. I want 0:33:27.680 --> 0:33:29.680 to I want to tell you that he'll yell at 0:33:29.680 --> 0:33:33.800 me over here. I do think about I swear now 0:33:33.800 --> 0:33:35.360 I have a lot of money, now you know what 0:33:35.400 --> 0:33:37.560 I mean. But I do think about, No, why am 0:33:37.600 --> 0:33:40.480 I doing this? I'm feeding my family, you know what 0:33:40.480 --> 0:33:42.520 I'm saying. I try to tell my kids that because 0:33:42.520 --> 0:33:46.320 they don't make the connection. No, I'm feeding the family. 0:33:46.360 --> 0:33:49.360 I'm putting clothes on your back. You know. I'm going 0:33:49.360 --> 0:33:52.240 to the grocery store. I'm able to buy good fruit 0:33:52.360 --> 0:33:55.200 and vegetables. And I really think that way, and I 0:33:55.240 --> 0:33:56.560 know it's probably madness. 0:33:56.600 --> 0:33:57.480 But you're a billionaire. 0:33:57.480 --> 0:33:59.520 I mean, I don't know about all that with the 0:33:59.560 --> 0:34:01.600 company companies doing Yeah, we do. 0:34:01.640 --> 0:34:05.280 Well, Concret, congrats on your second quarter, aren't. 0:34:05.240 --> 0:34:09.160 Thank you very well? We have an amazing team and 0:34:09.200 --> 0:34:12.560 we have a great CEO and great president and they 0:34:12.719 --> 0:34:14.680 try not to pay too much attention to me, and 0:34:14.719 --> 0:34:15.920 they're doing great well. 0:34:15.960 --> 0:34:18.680 When you hire somebody today, what qualities do you value 0:34:19.080 --> 0:34:19.760 more than talent? 0:34:22.400 --> 0:34:29.400 Good question. I like enthusiasm, and you know, I like 0:34:29.560 --> 0:34:33.360 enthusiasm and passion. I think it's good. Not everybody is talented. 0:34:33.560 --> 0:34:36.719 It's good to have talent, though, right, it's good to 0:34:36.760 --> 0:34:39.400 have talent, but it's great to have enthusiasm and sometimes 0:34:39.440 --> 0:34:42.240 you can work and learn and be open and stuff 0:34:42.280 --> 0:34:42.560 like that. 0:34:42.719 --> 0:34:45.279 How involved are you with the company now? Why do 0:34:45.320 --> 0:34:46.200 you know every shoe and this? 0:34:46.440 --> 0:34:50.319 I'm very involved with very involved with the products. And 0:34:50.360 --> 0:34:54.160 I'm very involved. You know, things different when you get older. 0:34:55.280 --> 0:34:58.280 You know, in my late sixties now you know I'm older, 0:34:58.360 --> 0:35:02.840 Ye do much less weight now. You know what I'm saying. 0:35:03.320 --> 0:35:07.960 It's sad getting older. It's not great. Uh, it's kind 0:35:07.960 --> 0:35:10.040 of like I think about I don't know why we're 0:35:10.080 --> 0:35:13.319 talking about that, but I'm very involved. You know. It's 0:35:13.640 --> 0:35:16.279 I think about Larry Birder, I think about you know, 0:35:17.800 --> 0:35:23.440 you know, just athletes that you know at some point 0:35:23.640 --> 0:35:26.520 you know, can't boxer, can't knock a guy out anymore. 0:35:26.520 --> 0:35:29.480 It's a hard you know, it's a very hard feeling, 0:35:30.000 --> 0:35:33.439 you know, to be you know what I mean. It's 0:35:33.560 --> 0:35:36.319 you're getting older and you're getting well yeah, I mean 0:35:36.360 --> 0:35:36.760 you got. 0:35:36.640 --> 0:35:38.160 Kids, and your kids run your company. You got to 0:35:38.160 --> 0:35:39.600 trust in your kids that you know. 0:35:39.680 --> 0:35:41.239 Well, I don't want them to go into shoes. But 0:35:41.280 --> 0:35:43.359 I don't want them to do something well because we're 0:35:43.360 --> 0:35:45.640 a public company and it's difficult. But you know, they 0:35:45.680 --> 0:35:48.000 could if they wanted to. But you know, I'd like 0:35:48.080 --> 0:35:53.120 them to do something they love, you know, and that 0:35:53.160 --> 0:35:56.960 would not upset me if one of my kids became 0:35:57.040 --> 0:36:00.680 a teacher, if they loved it, because they would have 0:36:00.719 --> 0:36:03.840 the money, you know, to do that. I think teachers 0:36:03.880 --> 0:36:04.520 are underpaid. 0:36:05.160 --> 0:36:06.320 You just want them to find their passion. 0:36:06.600 --> 0:36:09.920 Yeah, yeah, I think it's terrible injustice in America. 0:36:10.000 --> 0:36:12.560 By the way, what makes you do so much work 0:36:12.560 --> 0:36:15.480 with HBCUs? I mean we were on a panel at 0:36:15.480 --> 0:36:18.000 how would you have a building that? 0:36:19.280 --> 0:36:19.840 No, we just have. 0:36:21.040 --> 0:36:22.560 It is it's something to how we do. 0:36:22.640 --> 0:36:25.880 We do a lot of work with Howard. Yes, we 0:36:25.960 --> 0:36:28.759 do some stuff. We have a big programs, intern programs, 0:36:28.800 --> 0:36:29.800 fashion programs. 0:36:30.239 --> 0:36:34.600 And then we did something was it Clark Clark. 0:36:33.480 --> 0:36:34.160 A couple of years ago. 0:36:34.280 --> 0:36:38.560 Yeah, it was great. 0:36:36.760 --> 0:36:38.880 Athlete campaigns to campaigns. 0:36:39.440 --> 0:36:43.920 You do things, well, let let the uh. I'm just 0:36:43.960 --> 0:36:46.239 doing what I can. I don't really know what else 0:36:46.280 --> 0:36:48.319 to say, doing what we can, that's it. 0:36:48.760 --> 0:36:50.520 But who pointed you in that direction? Like what made 0:36:50.520 --> 0:36:52.839 you say I want to start pouring into these HBCUs. 0:36:53.960 --> 0:36:57.879 You know, it's just something that I want to do. 0:36:58.719 --> 0:37:01.960 I don't really have I just feel like we're not 0:37:02.040 --> 0:37:04.120 getting into it. I just feel like it's an area 0:37:04.200 --> 0:37:07.200 that doesn't get as much attention as it should. And 0:37:07.280 --> 0:37:12.600 it's a wonderful thing, and I think I wish we 0:37:12.600 --> 0:37:16.120 could do more, to be honest with you, and especially 0:37:16.160 --> 0:37:18.319 at this time in America, was there like. 0:37:18.280 --> 0:37:21.360 A certain was that like a certain something that happened 0:37:21.360 --> 0:37:24.239 where you were like I need like what you know 0:37:24.280 --> 0:37:27.319 what I mean? Like, where was the emotional connection for you? 0:37:27.360 --> 0:37:29.680 Like what happened where you were? Like, we need to 0:37:29.680 --> 0:37:34.560 be doing more. One admit that you saw where you like, 0:37:34.560 --> 0:37:35.279 this is messed up. 0:37:35.560 --> 0:37:41.040 I don't. I was. You know, I've been very influenced 0:37:41.120 --> 0:37:44.279 by black people in my life. I have to just 0:37:44.320 --> 0:37:47.959 say it, you know, I just you know, as a kid, 0:37:48.200 --> 0:37:51.040 it was next to my town. There was a town 0:37:51.080 --> 0:38:01.839 called Inwood. You guys know Inwood, which is right next 0:38:01.840 --> 0:38:04.319 to far Acaway. I want to give a shout out 0:38:04.360 --> 0:38:08.840 to my man Jeffrey Brooks and Pucci and all those guys, 0:38:09.120 --> 0:38:12.600 and uh, yeah, there was a town called Inwood, and 0:38:12.640 --> 0:38:16.520 you know, so we grew up together and it was 0:38:16.719 --> 0:38:19.560 they were different and it was fun and and we 0:38:19.640 --> 0:38:21.319 had so much fun. And I could tell you all 0:38:21.320 --> 0:38:24.759 about that trip one day, you know, because it is 0:38:24.760 --> 0:38:29.520 an interesting sort of trip. But you know, it was 0:38:30.600 --> 0:38:34.680 it was just great. It was very It influenced my life, 0:38:34.800 --> 0:38:38.200 you know that thing. I tend to get influenced by 0:38:38.360 --> 0:38:40.120 a lot of stuff. Of course, I was in prison 0:38:41.160 --> 0:38:44.319 a lot of black folks, and you know, and so 0:38:44.880 --> 0:38:50.360 you know, another influence. You know, uh, you know that 0:38:50.440 --> 0:38:50.839 kind of thing. 0:38:50.880 --> 0:38:52.640 But that's good though. You have to be open to that. 0:38:52.719 --> 0:38:54.200 Like there's a lot of people who aren't open. That's 0:38:54.200 --> 0:38:57.640 why racism and bigotry sucks, right, because you close yourself off. 0:38:57.480 --> 0:39:01.279 From people and opening the people learning things like you did. 0:39:01.480 --> 0:39:03.920 Yeah, so my cell made was like he grabbed me 0:39:03.960 --> 0:39:06.120 by the neck and said, okay, white boy, I'm gonna 0:39:06.120 --> 0:39:07.000 teach you about hip hop. 0:39:07.080 --> 0:39:07.239 Now. 0:39:07.560 --> 0:39:09.759 It was that kind of thing. You listen to it. 0:39:10.200 --> 0:39:13.040 And so it was fun, you know, that was that 0:39:13.160 --> 0:39:19.239 was a good that was good experience. And there was 0:39:19.280 --> 0:39:21.879 a song I'm working that back I don't know how to. 0:39:24.360 --> 0:39:25.480 That was like the first one. 0:39:25.600 --> 0:39:27.839 And be on the track walking in prison and listen 0:39:27.880 --> 0:39:34.839 to that song and your neck and puts you on. Well, 0:39:34.880 --> 0:39:36.640 that was the song that I heard first. It was 0:39:36.680 --> 0:39:38.840 like so motion from me, and I thought, this is 0:39:38.880 --> 0:39:41.600 so great. And there was a little hip hop bit 0:39:41.960 --> 0:39:43.240 somebody was on that song. 0:39:43.120 --> 0:39:46.360 Too, juvenile and the older slim yeah, and it was 0:39:46.400 --> 0:39:57.359 so good like like like that so yeah, so like. 0:39:57.320 --> 0:39:58.640 I'm like, this is good. 0:39:59.440 --> 0:39:59.680 Yeah. 0:40:00.080 --> 0:40:03.640 And uh, Well, when I was away, t I was 0:40:03.760 --> 0:40:08.840 very big and he was from that South. His his 0:40:08.880 --> 0:40:13.000 stuff was very you know, poppy. It was very like, wow, 0:40:13.120 --> 0:40:17.439 does the Taliban? I remember those songs and I would 0:40:17.440 --> 0:40:20.959 be like working out and every and everybody would be like, yeah, 0:40:21.160 --> 0:40:22.920 you know there was another song. You don't know me, 0:40:23.320 --> 0:40:26.480 you don't know men, we'd be working out it. It 0:40:26.560 --> 0:40:28.359 was just a moment, you know, and I thought, well, 0:40:28.360 --> 0:40:30.440 this is good. And then I got to meet t 0:40:30.560 --> 0:40:31.480 I with IRV Gotti. 0:40:32.760 --> 0:40:35.239 Yes, did you mean juvenile yet? I have not because 0:40:35.239 --> 0:40:36.239 they are going on tour. 0:40:36.360 --> 0:40:36.880 We need to go. 0:40:37.120 --> 0:40:41.360 Okay, tis music okay. But then he had that beef 0:40:41.360 --> 0:40:48.120 with money and I thought, I don't know about all 0:40:48.160 --> 0:40:49.000 that failure. 0:40:49.280 --> 0:40:51.280 I'm not sure about that. 0:40:51.280 --> 0:40:53.680 That prison saved your life, right, So how do you 0:40:53.719 --> 0:40:56.400 know when you're I guess quote unquote biggest failure has 0:40:56.440 --> 0:40:57.480 become your greatest blessing. 0:40:59.160 --> 0:41:01.480 Well, you have to think of it like that, I mean, 0:41:01.680 --> 0:41:05.560 because otherwise, you know, uh, you just drown and sorrow 0:41:05.600 --> 0:41:07.720 and pity, right, I mean, you know, and it's easy 0:41:07.719 --> 0:41:10.920 to do. You know, it's easy to do with God, 0:41:11.120 --> 0:41:16.520 you know. Uh, so you try to turn it around 0:41:16.560 --> 0:41:19.080 and try to if you can. Not everybody has the 0:41:19.160 --> 0:41:25.600 ability to do that, to be honest, and certainly it's 0:41:25.640 --> 0:41:29.200 easier if you're white, to be honest with you. That's 0:41:29.280 --> 0:41:33.239 not good and soapy about it, but it's not. 0:41:33.280 --> 0:41:35.240 So people tell the truth. 0:41:35.480 --> 0:41:39.960 That's talk about. That's that's what it is. So so 0:41:40.000 --> 0:41:43.480 it's a little bit of that. It's just you know 0:41:43.600 --> 0:41:45.360 that whole it's connected to that. 0:41:46.120 --> 0:41:48.399 Why does that make you uncomfortable to talk about those 0:41:48.400 --> 0:41:48.879 type of things? 0:41:48.880 --> 0:41:49.279 I mean, I. 0:41:49.280 --> 0:41:53.080 Understand the if Steve gets to talk and talking, I 0:41:53.120 --> 0:41:53.839 don't go back there. 0:41:54.160 --> 0:42:04.640 Stop. Yes, it is harder, and it's just that's just 0:42:04.680 --> 0:42:07.759 the facts. That's just the way it is. People talk 0:42:07.960 --> 0:42:11.359 to tipto, you know, It's just that's the way it is. 0:42:11.800 --> 0:42:12.759 So we do what we can. 0:42:13.960 --> 0:42:16.280 What do you think society is wrong about people who've 0:42:16.600 --> 0:42:17.680 served time? 0:42:19.400 --> 0:42:24.920 Well, the good news is the good news is people 0:42:24.920 --> 0:42:28.520 are less harsh about it today. You know, a lot 0:42:28.520 --> 0:42:32.400 of people do time. And you know, when I was away, 0:42:32.480 --> 0:42:35.520 most of the people were in prison for drug dealing. 0:42:36.200 --> 0:42:38.960 Just I would say I was in a low security 0:42:39.120 --> 0:42:40.400 not that it was easy. 0:42:40.520 --> 0:42:40.960 It was not. 0:42:41.040 --> 0:42:44.239 Don't get trippy by low security. It sucked. There were 0:42:44.239 --> 0:42:47.560 fucking guys with guns and fences. It was terrible. But 0:42:48.560 --> 0:42:52.239 you know, uh, most of the people were there for 0:42:52.360 --> 0:42:57.680 drug crimes, like you know, and and you know, I 0:42:57.719 --> 0:43:01.000 think the drug laws were too severe and they and 0:43:02.480 --> 0:43:07.279 you know, I mean, they tend to really disrupt communities 0:43:07.360 --> 0:43:12.200 and I think it's grossly unfair. And I know you 0:43:12.239 --> 0:43:15.239 guys know all about the crack laws, and I'm sure 0:43:15.280 --> 0:43:18.720 you've talked about it. You know, it's like just a racist, 0:43:19.760 --> 0:43:23.000 you know law. It's just that simple. There's nothing you 0:43:23.040 --> 0:43:26.160 could say about it that has changed. Guys have gone home. 0:43:26.880 --> 0:43:30.160 And you know, when I went away, also, there was 0:43:30.200 --> 0:43:34.120 white people in there deal in marijuana one hundred plants, 0:43:35.000 --> 0:43:39.120 ten years maximum minimum ten years. Everybody's smoking potts, right, 0:43:39.320 --> 0:43:42.160 What the hell guys did ten years one hundred plants, 0:43:42.600 --> 0:43:47.040 that's crazy. So the laws were you know, so she 0:43:47.120 --> 0:43:50.040 had all these people there, and it wasn't like bank 0:43:50.120 --> 0:43:53.760 robbers and stuff, although I was friends with a bank robber. 0:43:56.600 --> 0:43:59.759 Some stuff to some stuff. We had to hide money 0:43:59.800 --> 0:44:03.440 under the ground. Well, you know, anyway, it's a humbling 0:44:03.480 --> 0:44:08.400 experience and people deserve second chances. And I would say 0:44:08.480 --> 0:44:10.440 that a lot of the folks that were in there 0:44:10.440 --> 0:44:13.839 for drug dealing, you know, I would say, just try 0:44:13.880 --> 0:44:15.960 to take those skills and try to do it with 0:44:16.040 --> 0:44:19.400 something that's legal. Of course, marijuana is legal today, you know. 0:44:19.560 --> 0:44:25.080 So so I was real quick. 0:44:25.360 --> 0:44:27.160 Yes, why you didn't bring me no shoes? 0:44:27.960 --> 0:44:35.120 It's Steve real get Okay, thank you. Let me just 0:44:35.160 --> 0:44:41.799 show you the whole thing. Okay, no, no, no, I 0:44:41.840 --> 0:44:42.520 got enough, Steve. 0:44:43.760 --> 0:44:45.440 But yeah, and eat. 0:44:45.440 --> 0:44:47.239 And I want you to know because I need you 0:44:47.320 --> 0:44:48.640 to send me at least two or three shoes so 0:44:48.680 --> 0:44:49.759 I can figure out when we went. 0:44:49.680 --> 0:44:50.560 To the juvenile conference. 0:44:50.680 --> 0:44:53.920 Yes, we're gonna go, yes, and uh, we're selling a 0:44:53.920 --> 0:44:55.560 lot of dress shoes. I just want you guys to 0:44:56.200 --> 0:44:59.560 more than usual, which is interesting a lot of people, 0:45:00.920 --> 0:45:03.960 you know, the in my price is you know, one 0:45:04.040 --> 0:45:06.560 hundred and under, twenty hundred and fifty. They don't make 0:45:06.600 --> 0:45:08.239 a lot of cool dress shoes. It's kind of like 0:45:08.400 --> 0:45:12.040 really better market people like aware like Christian your or 0:45:12.600 --> 0:45:15.200 you know, something like that. And so we're doing really 0:45:15.239 --> 0:45:17.440 well with that. We're making a lot of high heels. 0:45:17.920 --> 0:45:19.840 How does social media change your business? 0:45:21.280 --> 0:45:24.880 Social media is everything? And you know, we have a 0:45:24.880 --> 0:45:29.960 whole department devoted to that. And it's really I mean, 0:45:30.000 --> 0:45:33.000 we could do ten shows on social media, couldn't. It's 0:45:33.040 --> 0:45:38.319 so unbelievable. Yeah, And and I don't really I like, 0:45:38.880 --> 0:45:42.520 just on a personal note, I really like TikTok myself 0:45:43.000 --> 0:45:45.759 and it relaxes me. Like sometimes at night, I just 0:45:45.800 --> 0:45:48.000 like I don't even put on the TV. Just grow, 0:45:48.880 --> 0:45:52.160 you know. And it's like, but you know, my algorithm 0:45:52.200 --> 0:45:54.480 is probably different than your hell, you know. 0:45:54.440 --> 0:45:56.960 Because I can't stay none of it. I'm like, it's 0:45:57.000 --> 0:46:00.000 two negative too negative. Well, right, algorithm is different though. 0:46:00.800 --> 0:46:01.040 Yeah. 0:46:01.280 --> 0:46:05.360 I get a lot of movies, old movies and you know, 0:46:05.520 --> 0:46:06.920 stuff like that. Chris Brown. 0:46:10.560 --> 0:46:13.279 Has social media made style more accessible or has it 0:46:13.400 --> 0:46:14.800 made originality harder? 0:46:14.840 --> 0:46:16.200 The fun? Oh god? 0:46:16.320 --> 0:46:18.120 That's uh. 0:46:18.800 --> 0:46:21.200 You know, style is everything, trend is everything. It's just 0:46:22.800 --> 0:46:26.480 you know, what I think is like I don't remember 0:46:26.520 --> 0:46:29.280 being in school and there was a bunch of cool 0:46:29.440 --> 0:46:33.920 girls wearing certain jeans or a tan tap and like 0:46:34.000 --> 0:46:38.399 it went around. Now that cool girl thing is all 0:46:38.480 --> 0:46:40.920 over the country, you'll get to see what the cool 0:46:41.440 --> 0:46:45.440 tank top is. You know. It's sort of an amazing 0:46:46.280 --> 0:46:49.280 idea in a way, like oh, what's the cool ankle boot? 0:46:49.440 --> 0:46:51.839 Like what are the chicks wearing? You know, I think 0:46:51.880 --> 0:46:52.319 it's great. 0:46:52.360 --> 0:46:54.440 Have you ever worked too late on a trend? Because 0:46:54.440 --> 0:46:58.000 you know, when you start designing, you're designing for next year? Right, 0:46:58.160 --> 0:46:59.160 have you ever worked too late? 0:46:59.239 --> 0:47:03.359 Either too late? I've been too early? You know, I've 0:47:03.400 --> 0:47:05.960 done it all. You know, you try. Timing is very 0:47:05.960 --> 0:47:11.400 important and and I've definitely been too late. I have 0:47:11.680 --> 0:47:13.640 and I've been too early too, which is just as 0:47:13.680 --> 0:47:15.640 bad as too late, you know. 0:47:15.840 --> 0:47:19.040 So what are the circumstances of finding out like figuring 0:47:19.080 --> 0:47:19.719 out what's next? 0:47:19.800 --> 0:47:20.000 Right? 0:47:20.239 --> 0:47:22.719 Like, for instance, right, everybody knows needles was the big 0:47:22.760 --> 0:47:25.720 thing for like three months straight. I mean you couldn't 0:47:25.760 --> 0:47:28.640 find one. All these stores that ordered crazy amount of needles. 0:47:28.640 --> 0:47:30.880 Now I'm sure they got to stop power because they 0:47:30.920 --> 0:47:31.879 don't care about it no more. 0:47:31.960 --> 0:47:33.880 So, how do you decide what's going to be the 0:47:33.960 --> 0:47:35.600 next show and what you go with you know. 0:47:36.160 --> 0:47:41.280 You, well, when somebody reaches my age, you must surround 0:47:41.320 --> 0:47:45.239 yourself with young people and tell you what's up. I 0:47:45.440 --> 0:47:47.600 dig that, I like that. I like to be around 0:47:47.680 --> 0:47:52.240 that energy. You know. You know, I'm listening to cowboy 0:47:52.360 --> 0:47:53.360 music in the gym. 0:47:53.560 --> 0:47:55.000 You know what I'm saying. 0:47:55.280 --> 0:47:57.080 You know what I'm saying. That's what I'm listening to. 0:47:57.600 --> 0:48:01.000 So it's not coming. You know, I'm not really going 0:48:01.080 --> 0:48:05.839 to be directing a lot of that. But but so 0:48:05.920 --> 0:48:11.680 I have young people and great talent around me. And yeah, 0:48:12.000 --> 0:48:13.920 as a matter of fact, if if there is a 0:48:14.040 --> 0:48:17.560 musical thing that I really like this, they're likely not 0:48:17.719 --> 0:48:20.480 to be successful, do you know what I mean? You 0:48:21.600 --> 0:48:24.120 know what I mean, because I like them and I'm like, gee, 0:48:24.200 --> 0:48:27.520 I love this group, you know when they're young and 0:48:27.600 --> 0:48:30.680 what I'm like, God, I love them, and uh and 0:48:30.760 --> 0:48:33.600 I go, but I like them. That that may be 0:48:33.640 --> 0:48:35.240 no good, you know what I'm saying. 0:48:35.719 --> 0:48:38.560 So that's crazy because y'all be so on the note, 0:48:38.600 --> 0:48:40.480 like even with the like the people y'all send to 0:48:40.800 --> 0:48:45.880 the Kirk. 0:48:45.760 --> 0:48:46.280 Doing great. 0:48:46.400 --> 0:48:47.279 Yes, but y'all were. 0:48:47.239 --> 0:48:49.520 Kind of early in like people were talking about it. 0:48:49.520 --> 0:48:53.719 But now it's become like a cultural like we're early 0:48:53.800 --> 0:48:55.960 on the acquisition with them. It's that's crazy to hear 0:48:56.000 --> 0:48:57.480 you say that, Like, it's not your instinct. 0:48:57.560 --> 0:49:01.400 Well, you know, you kind of have to mixed humility 0:49:01.480 --> 0:49:06.799 with vision perhaps, and uh, you know, but I do 0:49:06.960 --> 0:49:12.400 like Sabrina Carpenter, you know, and I like Taylor Swift. 0:49:12.480 --> 0:49:13.719 I know that's right, shake it off. 0:49:13.880 --> 0:49:16.759 Yeah, I mean I do like that stuff, you know. So, 0:49:17.239 --> 0:49:21.239 uh but nobody cares, you know what I mean. But 0:49:21.719 --> 0:49:22.840 my daughter's level of that. 0:49:23.480 --> 0:49:23.719 Yeah. 0:49:24.160 --> 0:49:27.319 So when you have like like your creative team, they 0:49:27.360 --> 0:49:28.920 come up and they show you, like, Steve, do you 0:49:28.960 --> 0:49:29.160 like this? 0:49:29.239 --> 0:49:30.400 Do like that? Are you honest? 0:49:30.400 --> 0:49:32.479 We'd be like, no, yes, that's what we do. Okay, 0:49:32.520 --> 0:49:33.720 let me show you something. Okay. 0:49:36.600 --> 0:49:38.200 Now, if I was working for you right in there 0:49:38.560 --> 0:49:41.359 and saying, Steve, these need to these the next hottest thing. 0:49:41.400 --> 0:49:43.839 These need to be sold for the church ladies, what 0:49:43.880 --> 0:49:44.600 would you say. 0:49:44.640 --> 0:49:50.240 Church lady? I would say, I like to make shoes 0:49:50.280 --> 0:49:52.360 for all kinds of people. And I would be let's 0:49:52.360 --> 0:49:55.680 do it. Let's make some church ladies. You wouldn't You 0:49:55.680 --> 0:49:58.440 wouldn't want to know we put something, we put our 0:49:58.480 --> 0:50:00.920 stamp on it. I mean, we put a little signature, 0:50:01.560 --> 0:50:05.960 a little flavor, a little, a little. There's a few secrets, 0:50:06.000 --> 0:50:09.720 like Coca cola. I can tell you the secret formula 0:50:09.800 --> 0:50:10.480 to Coca cola. 0:50:10.560 --> 0:50:11.560 But you're gonna make it raight. 0:50:11.640 --> 0:50:13.200 You're gonna make use some stuff. 0:50:14.040 --> 0:50:15.759 I could make that shoe look a little if you. 0:50:15.719 --> 0:50:19.799 Don't put them just show Steve madd that Monica Woard 0:50:19.800 --> 0:50:22.240 and that uh make it right video? 0:50:23.239 --> 0:50:25.480 Yes not not? So is there a level? Okay? 0:50:25.680 --> 0:50:28.600 Yeah, I know, I'm I'm just saying, you know, I 0:50:28.600 --> 0:50:30.279 would say I was thinking about what you said. You know, 0:50:30.320 --> 0:50:33.799 it's just humility and vision and there, I mean so 0:50:33.800 --> 0:50:37.960 many times, I fucking love that shoes. I hope I'm right. 0:50:38.760 --> 0:50:39.399 You know what I mean? 0:50:39.560 --> 0:50:43.279 Yeah, you know you know that's a creative process, isn't it. 0:50:43.360 --> 0:50:45.839 You should make a special box to all the young 0:50:45.880 --> 0:50:49.120 girls that come and make it like my first heels box, right, 0:50:49.160 --> 0:50:51.440 so when the girls boy their first heels, they. 0:50:51.280 --> 0:50:52.200 Can put it in something. 0:50:52.239 --> 0:50:52.359 Right. 0:50:52.360 --> 0:50:54.080 So I tell you I bought my daughter's first heels. 0:50:54.080 --> 0:50:57.319 She warm, but she's so excited to have her first heels. 0:50:57.000 --> 0:50:58.839 Like mommy, But they're not is no way to put them. 0:50:58.840 --> 0:50:59.840 I gotta put them on the show like that but 0:51:00.000 --> 0:51:02.280 they had like a special box, like a signature. 0:51:02.360 --> 0:51:04.680 First. I think that would be like. 0:51:04.640 --> 0:51:06.960 That you could do something with that. We're doing a 0:51:06.960 --> 0:51:09.760 little thing. We're thinking about bringing your vintage Steve Madden 0:51:09.800 --> 0:51:14.440 shoes and trade them in or something. 0:51:13.880 --> 0:51:16.600 I'm thinking about something like that. 0:51:16.880 --> 0:51:21.120 We want to do. Yes, because we've been around, you know, 0:51:21.200 --> 0:51:22.920 I don't feel like it. I mean, you know, and 0:51:23.160 --> 0:51:25.359 I'm still trying to make hits, right, but like we've 0:51:25.360 --> 0:51:29.640 been around a long time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And so 0:51:30.320 --> 0:51:31.960 you know, I go to the vintage stores in like 0:51:32.280 --> 0:51:36.040 Brooklyn and I see Steve Madden and I'm like, wait, 0:51:36.520 --> 0:51:38.440 I'm not dead yet. 0:51:37.719 --> 0:51:39.200 You know. 0:51:39.360 --> 0:51:40.560 It's kind of like when you win a Hall of 0:51:40.640 --> 0:51:46.240 Fame award that's us. Yes. 0:51:46.520 --> 0:51:48.520 Is there a level of successful people stop telling you 0:51:48.520 --> 0:51:48.879 the truth? 0:51:49.880 --> 0:51:53.520 You know? You have some uh, you do have some 0:51:53.640 --> 0:51:56.440 people that get a little intimidated by your success and 0:51:56.480 --> 0:51:59.480 they want to There are some people that do that 0:52:00.120 --> 0:52:02.839 really like it. And then I have people that do 0:52:02.920 --> 0:52:06.359 the opposite too, they like, you know, they always trying 0:52:06.360 --> 0:52:09.480 to correct me. I don't like that either. You know 0:52:09.560 --> 0:52:13.600 that most people, if you're in my career, you're telling 0:52:13.640 --> 0:52:16.799 me the truth. You know, I'm not that's not who 0:52:16.880 --> 0:52:18.640 I am, but I know people like that. 0:52:19.160 --> 0:52:21.359 How do you protect yourself from being surrounded by yes man, 0:52:21.800 --> 0:52:23.359 oh women, yes women, yes, me and woman. 0:52:25.360 --> 0:52:27.920 You know, it's really boring being supressed, you know, you know, 0:52:27.960 --> 0:52:30.120 you do something messed up and they say, oh, well 0:52:30.160 --> 0:52:31.640 you play golf and you hit a shitty shot and 0:52:31.640 --> 0:52:35.000 they go, great shot, Steve. Then you know, like, wait 0:52:35.040 --> 0:52:39.319 a second, but I've been around dudes like that, you know, 0:52:40.120 --> 0:52:45.000 and it's not a very good way to grow. Think 0:52:45.080 --> 0:52:48.360 you know that there are people that break my chops 0:52:48.400 --> 0:52:49.400 too a lot. 0:52:49.600 --> 0:52:50.040 For sure. 0:52:50.640 --> 0:52:51.759 They take it easy on me. 0:52:53.320 --> 0:52:55.919 You know, this is my last question. 0:52:56.880 --> 0:53:01.440 It's been we got shoes, we gotta go, we got 0:53:01.440 --> 0:53:02.160 things right? 0:53:02.320 --> 0:53:06.080 What lesson? Did your pain teach you? That's your success? 0:53:06.120 --> 0:53:08.680 Never could? 0:53:10.280 --> 0:53:15.600 Well? Pain can not to be corny about it. Sort 0:53:15.600 --> 0:53:18.879 of pain can be a message or a messenger, you know, 0:53:19.640 --> 0:53:24.600 and it can be and you know you can let it. 0:53:25.600 --> 0:53:27.560 You can let it weigh you down, and I have 0:53:27.640 --> 0:53:30.480 done that, and then you can let it say no, 0:53:30.600 --> 0:53:31.880 you know, I'm coming back. 0:53:32.000 --> 0:53:32.759 You know. It's like that. 0:53:33.760 --> 0:53:37.160 There's that hip hop song bounce back. I just heard it. 0:53:37.760 --> 0:53:40.279 You know who does. 0:53:42.080 --> 0:53:42.600 It's not a. 0:53:44.840 --> 0:53:47.840 Wait song? What a message that is, Big Sean. I 0:53:47.960 --> 0:53:51.360 like that guy yest. He was on you know, Spotify 0:53:51.400 --> 0:53:54.480 has like your top songs of twenty twenty. So I 0:53:54.520 --> 0:53:56.400 put it on the other day and bounce Back was 0:53:56.440 --> 0:54:01.759 on it. It's like, what an uplifting message? So uh 0:54:02.200 --> 0:54:03.839 we take l's and we bounce back. 0:54:04.440 --> 0:54:10.359 I know that's Rice, Steve, Big Sean, Steve Madden, thank 0:54:10.400 --> 0:54:11.279 you so much for joining us. 0:54:11.360 --> 0:54:12.279 Appreciate you so much. 0:54:12.640 --> 0:54:16.600 It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, hold every day. 0:54:16.400 --> 0:54:20.120 A weak click your glass up. The Breakfast Club finished. 0:54:20.239 --> 0:54:20.719 Y'all done.