Steve Madden shoes have been confidently carrying women for decades, with an estimated 120 locations in America, plus 250 more across 65 other countries. The man behind the brand was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York in 1958. Interestingly, Madden’s interest in footwear began as a teenager when he started working at a local shoe store. After high school, the creative went off to the University of Miami, but wound but back in Long Island after his sophomore year. At the time, Madden felt called to spent more time selling footwear and learning about the female consumer’s preferences to perfect his own designs. People associate Steve Madden with the company itself more than the visionary behind the products, but the fashion icon actually has a very interesting story. Outside of starting a family with his former director of operations (and eventual wife from 2005 to 2015), Wendy Ballew, the East Coast native managed to secure a $700K salary during his 31 months in prison, even...

For Randall Yarborough, being highly in tune with his surroundings as an adolescent was the foreshadowing of his future career. The footwear designer grew up on the west side of Detroit, MI — off of Joy Road to be exact — and was fascinated by the buildings in the downtown area. While he didn’t know exactly just what architecture was at the time, he knew he wanted to get his hands on it.