Essential Wisdom From Phil Knight, Steve Madden, Tory Burch and 21 More Fashion and Footwear Power Founders
Throughout FN’s eight decades, the shoe industry’s greatest visionaries have shared with the magazine the inside secrets of their business strategies and ambitious goals. These have included leaders like Nike’s Phil Knight, Kith’s Ronnie Fieg, fashion icons Tory Burch, Steve Madden, Kenneth Cole and many more.
But these entrepreneurs have also opened up about the personal philosophies that have guided their journeys, sharing nuggets of wisdom gleaned throughout their storied careers.
Here, FN offers up sage thoughts from 24 of the power founders of footwear through the years, talking about leadership, motivation and those occasional missteps.
Olivier Bernhard, cofounder of On
“I still think and feel as an athlete. I can’t change who I was, and I also don’t want to change it. My background is very important. come from an athlete — an athlete who has won, but also lost, who suffered injuries and the perfect running sensation.” (July 2013)
Tory Burch, founder, executive chairman and chief creative officer of Tory Burch LLC
“We don’t have a formula; it’s about instinct, and I know it when I see it. It has to be singular and made to last, with incredible craftsmanship and quality. And it has to be a shoe people will really wear.” (July 2024)
Bob Campbell, founder, chairman and CEO of BBC International
“When I look back at the things that really set BBC on a path for success, lighted shoes is one of them. That idea was my first big break.” (December 2019)
Vince Camuto, cofounder of Nine West and founder of Camuto Group
“We built big companies; Nine West was a $2 billion company. We’re in this business because we want to be here. It’s not about building an empire, or how big is big, but to build great product, great perceived value, be on top of the fashion and create good people in the company, which may be more of an attraction than even shoes.” (December 2005)
Kenneth Cole, founder, chairman and chief creative officer, Kenneth Cole Productions Inc.
“We don’t talk about political issues. We talk about important social issues that influence the products we bring to market and overwhelm us as consumers and individuals every day. It’s what I’ve always done. There’s no reason we shouldn’t do it — and more going forward in light of the vacuum we’re likely to see.” (December 2024)
Sam Edelman, cofounder of Sam & Libby and Sam Edelman
“ you have to enjoy being on the edge; you have to love it. Itʼs all or nothing. I donʼt know an entrepreneur who thinks that 12 hours is a long day. Youʼve got to eat, sleep and breathe what youʼre doing. And you have to have vision and the talent to make that vision manifest.” (September 2019)
D’Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design
“I don’t like the word ‘success.’ It’s a past-tense word. As a designer, I’m programmed to see two and three years at a time. One thing I’ve learned is I need to say, ‘OK, that happened,’ celebrate and keep it moving. What I is to let someone else talk about what you’ve done. If they are, that means you did something right.” (February 2024)
Ronnie Fieg, founder, CEO and creative director of Kith
“I’m the orchestrator. I’m the conductor, ideating and then coaching through the process of getting things to the finish line. I’ve gotten better over time in leading people, but the people have made me better.” (October 2023)
Marc Fisher, founder and CEO of Marc Fisher Footwear
“I love seeing women wear our shoes. I love the fashion cycles, the constant changes, the newness. Every season, it’s like, ‘OK, let’s go, let’s hit it.’ It’s energizing.” (December 2018)
Robert Greenberg, cofounder, chairman and CEO of Skechers USA Inc.
“Most people pull back during tough times. I act. I don’t fear too many things.” (November 2015)
Tarek Hassan, founder and CEO, Concepts
“I use my instincts, and we’re on the ground all the time, always in front of people and surrounded by the industry. I like to discover talent within the organization as well. Some of the team started as salespeople and now they’re leading the brand.” (March 2022)
Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos
“If you think of employees as, say, plants, I don’t see myself as the tallest plant that everyone aspires to be. I see my role as being the architect of the greenhouse, and they’ll figure out how to grow on their own. I’m generally pretty introverted and quieter and shy. I don’t think I’m representative of the energy you see .” (May 2009)
Jeffrey Kalinsky, founder, Jeffrey New York
“You have to be willing to learn every day. The idea that you can continue down a path that has been successful in the past to move forward into the future — that ain’t gonna fly.” (December 2019)
Marcia Kilgore, founder of FitFlop
“I’ve been building teams for 25 years. It’s about personality fit, attitude, a willingness to learn, for me and for them. I like the analogy of porous versus metallic. I have a very hard time working with metallic people (who don’t want to discuss, compromise, learn, open up, accept that there are options), so they don’t last very long in my organizations.” (June 2019)
Phil Knight, cofounder of Nike Inc.
“I hate all my competitors. I don’t want to like them. Essentially, they take market share away from us and our ambition and our dreams are cut back.” (February 1997)
Sébastien Kopp, cofounder of Veja
“The psychology behind sustainability is not complicated. It’s lot of common sense and courage. You just have to take risks and create some tension.” (November 2023)
Steve Madden, founder, creative and design chief of Steven Madden Ltd.
“As a leader of this company, I never cared about the numbers or what we told Wall Street. I leave all those things to other people. For me, it has always been about what the shoes looked like and whether my customers liked them. That’s all that has ever mattered.” (November 2001)
Tamara Mellon, cofounder of Jimmy Choo and founder of Tamara Mellon
“It’s incredibly important to pass along learnings from failures and successes. My big career mistake was not having mentors.” (June 2024)
Joe Ouaknine, cofounder and CEO of Titan Industries
“I don’t like workaholics. They are too tired. I like people, more or less, doing what I do: I work really hard, and I play even harder. People that only work to satisfy their boss, I don’t need them.” (November 2017)
Kevin Plank, founder, president and CEO of Under Armour Inc.
“I’m a hard man. I’m very deliberate, and I have a point of view, and I can’t apologize for that. I can make sure that I’m always respectful, though, at the same time. I’m never rude. I’m never curt. I never cut people off. I let people voice their opinions and their inputs. Whether we do or don’t listen to an idea isn’t descriptive of what culture is.” (February 2019)
Faryl Robin, founder and CEO of Faryl Robin
“Our absolute top priority is the happiness and wellbeing of our team. As leaders, we have committed time and time again to people over profit and have earned the trust of our employees. As a company, we are committed to working together to empower and honor women. The collective desire to leave a positive impact on the world only grows as times get tough.” (June 2023)
Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group
“Building Authentic to what it is today all about family values. That goes through the entire organization. The most important part is having a great time every single day. My theory is, if you have a lot of fun, you’re going to probably do pretty good in business. Money’s just a scorecard.” (November 2021)
Jessica Simpson, cofounder and CEO of the Jessica Simpson Collection
“I have vowed to myself to find strength in every challenge, find the beautiful in the pain and find hope in the right now. I have learned that if I am honest with myself and open with everyone else, I can be my strongest. I now lead with my mistakes and am more gentle with myself.” (October 2021)
Sophia Webster, founder and designer, Sophia Webster
“It’s hard to stop and take stock of what you’ve done and where you’re going. When it’s your name, you’re just so emotionally attached. Ten years in this climate is a real milestone.” (November 2023)
