Steve Madden is preparing for future growth through new category launches and concept stores in Australia according to Signal Brands, the licensee for Steve Madden in Australia.
Speaking with Ragtrader, Signal Brands marketing and PR manager Casey Pascoe-Webbe said extending Steve Madden’s category offering in the country is the “number one” priority. This is followed by growing its wholesale partners and opening “more and more” doors.
Currently, Steve Madden sells footwear and handbags with Signal Brands Australia.
"Each brand at Signal Brands Australia - Steve Madden, Guess and Nine West - have their own team that follows international guidelines for each brand,” Pascoe-Webbe said.
"In the case of Steve Madden, our product range will be extended towards the end of the year to include hats, watches and eyewear.”
According to Pascoe-Webbe, the eyewear range is pending Australian regulation sign off.
As the licensee for Steve Madden in Australia, Signal Brands operates Steve Madden and Madden girl labels. Pascoe-Webbe said that it also works on Dolce Vita “from time to time” for its wholesale partners.
She also noted that Steve Madden harnesses three core customer demographics: an “on-trend girl”, a “pump girl” and a “sneaker girl”.
According to Pascoe-Webbe, Steve Madden’s online market in Australia “generally hits that on-trend girl” as she is likely to wear boots all year round.
In regard to the price points of its Steve Madden range, particularly online, Pascoe-Webbe said there is a gradual curve upwards “for all the usual reasons.”
“I guess the customer can tolerate those increases though - because the brand personality and the cutting edge styling of Steve Madden footwear, in particular, always wins out with that customer.
“The Signal Brands Australia/Steve Madden website has always been a leading online channel for Steve Madden.
“We're driven really heavily by our socials - we invest really heavily in our online marketing as well - but our social and organic following is really real.
“That's where we see a lot of our growth coming from.”
As well as focusing on new categories, Pascoe-Webbe said the brand is also expanding its physical footprint.
Recently, Steve Madden opened a new concept store in Doncaster, Victoria, with another on the way for Shellharbour in NSW in November.
The new concept for these stores are seen in its “elevated finishes,” while still retaining the Steve Madden brand identity, Pascoe-Webbe said.
“So it's a mixture - or fusion - of different substrates. We've got metals, backward terrazzo; backs with iridescent walls, really large LED screens, and neons that talk about the brand personality.”
Currently, Steve Madden has six standalone stores across Australia, and a “handful” of factory stores as well. This includes a new outlet opening in Canberra. Its products are also stocked in David Jones, Myer, The Iconic, and "a number of" chain store streetwear retailers.
“So it's very much around the footprint of the store,” Pascoe-Webbe explained, “from the owned retail channel perspective.”
“Signal Brands is on quite an aggressive store opening growth strategy on a whole, actually.”
As well as new locally opened stores, Steve Madden is also preparing to launch another in Dubai Mall in the UAE “in the coming months.” It will be the same concept as those launched in Sydney and Melbourne.
“The Dubai Mall store is unrelated to the Signal Brands Australia operation, although we all are custodians of the Steve Madden brand,” Pascoe-Webbe said. “But it really takes that whole elevated, but still on-brand, experience that one step further.
“They've got chainmail walls, full iridescent walls, stadium style revolving LEDs. So globally, we're really excited to be right on the forefront of what's happening with the brand.”
“We're really thankful at Signal Brands Australia that it has continued to trade really strongly throughout.”