Is Steve Madden A Good Brand? Everything You Need To Know

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Editorial Team

Steve Madden has successfully built a reputation that has consistently endured and surpassed the testing times for more than 30 years and counting. It has gained devoted consumers in the United States and worldwide by meeting the needs of a diverse clientele. 

Although the brand is popular, many customers are worried about its price and quality of products. While the brand reigns in the shoe industry fairly and claims credit for revolutionizing fashion, it still owes accountability to its customer base.

 If you are analyzing the ethos of the brand and have questions about the authenticity of its hype, this article is here to answer your concerns regarding is Steve Madden a good brand. Everything you need to know.

What Is Steve Madden?

Steve Madden is a renowned brand that designs and markets footwear, clothing, and accessories for both men and women. The brand is considered among the most successful shoe-to-wear brands in the US, with a unique combination of extensive experience and evolving creativity. The extensive collection of clothing articles and a wide array of shoe choices serve to cover customer needs for all seasons, all year round. Moreover, their goods may be purchased online, at retail locations in the United States and Canada, and abroad in Australia, Europe, and Asia.

The company was included among the top 100 brands of the year in 2017 by Fortune magazine, and Forbes has named the firm one of the finest 100 to work for several times within the last ten years.

The Origin Story

The company was started by Steve Madden himself in 1990. The eponymous footwear brand derives its origin story from the trunk of young Steve Madden’s car trunk while he was still in high school.

 A modest $1100 investment into 500 pairs of personalized shoes by the owner himself morphed into a multi-billion dollar business that has not looked back ever since. Shoes from Steve Madden are now available in several department shops and independent boutiques globally. 

These days, internet stores like Nordstrom, Lulus, and ASOS provide a sizable selection of Steve Madden clothing.

If you are someone who is conscious about their bank before investing in wearables, we get you. Here are some main points to look out for white shopping at Steve Madden.

Pricing And Affordability:

Is Steve Madden a luxury brand? While a certain portion of the brand’s loyal customer base promotes its status as a high-end vendor, the general affordability of its products endorses its accessibility and characterizes it as a brand from where one can shop with even a limited budget. 

The majority of Steve Madden’s shoes and bags sell for between $50 and $200, and very few items exceed a price range beyond this mark. Most of the shoes are marketed within the range of $100, while some handbags cost you about $70-$80. 

These prices seek to deliver a good balance between a quality accessory or footwear without impulsively spending a fortune. 

Moreover, frequent clearance or promotional events accompanied by retail markdowns enable customers to shop for quality products for under fifty bucks. So, look out for the Thanksgiving and Christmas sales to treat yourself to discounted merchandise and accessories.

Brand Value And Quality

Steve Madden’s shoes are of decent quality. The plus point is are also worth the price. The brand neither exceeds expectations by delivering quality comparable to the exclusive, luxurious products nor falls beneath the standard value for money set of an effective business. 

They appear to employ leather, suede, nubuck, and other synthetic materials in suitable ratios to produce desirable quality. The shoes are mass-produced in factories outside of the United States, mainly China, and the leather used in its goods is of mediocre quality; It is primarily a combination of neatly combed and patent leather.

They also include outsoles that offer your feet a good grip, and depending on how often you use them, the soles are strong enough to stay for several months or even years. So, consumers generally applaud Leather boots from Steve Madden for their supreme comfort and extra durability, with a lifetime of approximately two years on daily use. 

Meanwhile, synthetic materials have been observed to not hold up due to their reduced flexibility compared to leather. Therefore, we prescribe you wear such fragile articles daily irrespective of the purpose to ensure comfort and feet health. 

Design is a domain where Steve Madden has excelled throughout the years. They propel their ideas of fashion as lifestyle choices, producing fashionable shoes that have significantly impacted how men and women dress for a very long time. 

It goes without saying that Steve Madden is a brand that follows fashion trends on social media very closely and is quick to reproduce viral products on TikTok and Instagram as their own with a unique flair. Its adaptability has provided the business with great fame and sustainable growth.

On the contrary, while producing these reasonably priced knockoffs is an old practice in the fashion business and undoubtedly boosts sales for Steve Madden, fashion ethics greatly discourage plagiarism of any extent and puts the creative appeal of the brand under scrutiny. 

Environment And Sustainability:

With its fashion meet sustainability tagline, the brand is consciously taking strides towards combating the environmental costs of fashion. It is significant to recognize that while Steve Maddens does not claim the premium, the brand still subscribes to sustainable fashion choices instead of adapting ways of fast fashion. 

One example of its efforts to employ sustainable practices is the brand’s inclusion of pre-loved items on its website through a resale program. 

Further, the company offers discounted rates on gently worn shoes and accessories, enhancing its accessibility while simultaneously neutralizing its carbon footprint. 

The packaging and shoe boxes are also recyclable and manufactured largely from post-consumer waste. 

Additionally, the company recently debuted its Cool Planet collection in 2021, which includes footwear and other goods manufactured using ethically sourced, sustainable materials. Pretty cool, we admit. 

Hence, if you are someone who roots in environmental sustainability within the realm of fashion, shopping from the Cool Planet collection and long-lasting leather range will definitely offer comfort and assurance to your conscience while providing you with trendy pairs of shoes.

Size Range And Inclusivity

Size inclusivity is referred to the practice of catering to and representing a variety of body sizes and shapes and has become an increasingly popular norm among ethically conscious fashion brands. 

However, despite being one of the most well-known companies in the fashion market, BB Dakota’s apparel line, a women’s apparel brand acquired by Steve Madden, doesn’t do much to appeal to customers who are plus size. Most of the sizes run small, according to customer reviews. So, in turn, losing a vast clientele.

The shoe collection at Steve Madden follows a similar pattern and lacks the exhibition of wide-width footwear in their advertisements, at least. As such a huge global brand, many amateur businesses look up to Steve Madden. 

Therefore, it needs to be more responsible in its efforts to reject traditional beauty standards that exclude plus sized-clientele and normalize variety in body shapes and sizes while marketing products.

Yet, in case you are not sure about what size to pick, we advise you to either try the shoes in-person at the store closest to you or get half a size bigger online, only to be safe.

FAQS

1. How Does Steve Madden’s Return Policy Function?

The policy for returns varies with the retailer you purchased the product from. For orders placed on their website, Steve Madden processes returns of unworn merchandise and accessories with their tags intact within 30 days of the purchase. However, the consumers can’t return the items purchased from clearance events or markdown sales. Moreover, you must bring the items to the store in their original packaging and show your order number or email confirmation from your previous order. Options for online returns are also available on the website of the store.

2. What Brands Come Under The Namesake Of Steve Madden?

With its presence in over 80 countries, Steve Madden has expanded vastly within the last decade. The brand possesses an extensive portfolio of brands that include Steve Madden®, Dolce Vita®, Betsey Johnson®, Blondo®, GREATS®, BB Dakota®, and Mad Love®. 

3. Does Steve Madden Cater To Men As Well?

Yes. While Steve Madden is widely popular due to its extended range of shoes for women, it also offers a distinct variety of comfortable and trendy shoes, clothes, and accessories for men and kids.

Conclusion

Evidently, Steve Madden is a reputable business offering high-quality new shoes, purses, and accessories that will meet your demands without breaking the bank. Nevertheless, Steve Madden offers substantially enhanced quality and experience than designer look-alike knockoff brands. Still, Steve Madden does not seek to claim similar durability because some high-end brands are often found guilty of lacking originality and copying off trending products. That being said, if affordability and decent quality are what you are looking for, indulge with the brand by all means.