Steve Madden is ubiquitous. Named for its legendary — and controversial — New York-born founder, the brand is a profoundly global presence, boasting a plethora of brick and mortar locations that stretch from Peru to Kuwait, Japan and Pennsylvania. Up close, however, the footwear giant’s vast retail footprint is gradually taking on a surprisingly intimate, site-specific character. Designed by Ringo Studio, Steve Madden’s Times Square flagship is an And in the Netherlands, a new outpost by offers a subtle yet evocative tribute to a brand born in the Big Apple.
Located in the popular Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, the Dutch flagship conjures a skyline in miniature. A playful nod to Manhattan’s forest of skyscrapers, the store’s modular aluminum displays vary in height, creating a variety of rectilinear clusters that hint at the sprawling contours of an urban skyline. Topped by Steve Madden’s ever-evolving portfolio of shoes, bags and accessories, the sleek, monochrome displays — topped by varied materials including leather, wood and fabrics — are designed to be reconfigured with every new collection, refreshing the space while maintaining a coherent visual language.
Framed by a similarly proportioned array of floor-to-ceiling wall coverings — which suggests a skyline extending past the “clouds” of the white ceiling — the striking aluminum array is paired with earthy pops of colour in the store’s rounded pouffe seating. Moreover, a secondary display complements the sleek verticality with a concrete-textured “groundscraper,” complete with graffiti accents. Through the heart of the room, a sidewalk-turned-runway anchors the space, celebrating New York’s streetwear culture.
Within the mall, meanwhile, the store distinguishes itself with a bold, rounded marquee. Here, the Steve Madden typeface is paired with a digital ticker display — its flowing red text translating another piece of Times Square to Europe. Finally, the pared down yet eye-catching space is rounded out by full-height bronze mirrors, as well as a showpiece lighting installation on the ceiling — its two circular chandeliers a wink at the Statue of Liberty’s torch and crown.
For the Steve Madden brand, the 200 square metre flagship (including 50 square metres of storage and back of house uses) represents the opening salvo in a new retail concept. This year, the New York-inspired motif expands across the Netherlands with a pair of slightly smaller stores in Rotterdam and Eindhoven, as well as another recently opened outpost in the Dubai Hills Mall. Back at Times Square, meanwhile, visitors to the American flagship at the heart of it all are rewarded with a different kind of experience, trading the lore and mythos of Gotham for a taste of the thing itself.
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