Steve Madden has acquired luxury shoe designer Brian Atwood's brands from The Jones Group, Inc.
According to Women's Wear Daily, the two shoe designers have teamed up to create a high-end shoe label. While Atwood (who designed Lady Gaga's sky-high platform for this year's Vanity Fair Oscar party) will focus on the creative direction of the Brian Atwood brand, Madden's design team will ensure execution of those plans.
The deal marks Madden's company first venture into luxury shoes, making Madden a contender among celebrities' favorite red-carpet footwear, including Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik. "We're already in contemporary. Now we're in superluxury as well," Madden said to WWD.
"Brian Atwood is a premiere designer and he's also American, which I love, although everybody gets upset when I say that," explained Madden. He added, "When you go to the floors at Barneys, there aren't many American designers. Brian is a Midwest boy and he's brilliant. We like that."
As far as Madden's plan to grow Atwood's business, he said: "I plan on tripling it in the first year."
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