Steve Madden is a footwear industry icon who’s seen it all, from independent success to an infamous relationship with the real-life Wolf of Wall Street to lawsuits over sneaker designs. Here, Madden retraces his career in shoes, discussing that Jay-Z shoutout, his respect for Master P, his work with Ja Rule, and more. Elsewhere in the episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about the recent Air Max 97 “Gold Bullet” re-release, buying shoes on the resale market, and what's happened in sneakers in the past week.

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Steve Madden Says the Sneaker Industry Is a War

The hosts of the Internet’s biggest sneaker shows, Sneaker Shopping and Full Size Run, come together in The Complex Sneakers Podcast. Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Brendan Dunne discuss the most important sneaker news and topics every week, and give their expert opinions that can only be told authentically from Complex.&nbsp;  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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June Ambrose is a costume designer and creative director who’s spent 30 years elevating the style of hip hop icons. She was there with Jay Z since the beginning, she was there when Missy Elliott signed her deal with Adidas, and she was there when Busta Rhymes needed exaggerated visuals to match his energy. In this episode, she relives her long resume, reflects on her Puma work, and dishes out some style advice. Also, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about Jack Harlow’s New Balances, upcoming Nike SB Dunks, and the LeBron James’ potential sneaker for his last season in the NBA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How June Ambrose Helped Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and Busta Become Style Icons

Travis Scott is finally switching up his retro Air Jordans with a new colorway of his Cactus Jack Air Jordan 1 Lows inspired by his high school colors. Does the new palette make the “Elkins” Air Jordan 1 Low his best in a while? In this episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty break down the merits of those, LaMelo Ball’s Lanvin Curb/Osiris D3-looking Puma lifestyle shoe, and the 2025 flip on the “Black Cat” Air Jordan 4. They also reveal the hidden layer underneath the A-Cold-Wall x Nike Air Max Plus by breaking down the black pair with a bit of sandpaper. In this no-guest episode, they also catch up on big sneaker news topics like Nike and Bape settling their lawsuit, Adidas’ CEO reflecting on losing the German football team, and Riccardo Tisci’s next collab. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Travis Scott's Air Jordan 1s Still Good?

Aaron Cooper is a Nike design veteran who worked on genre-defining basketball sneakers for athletes like Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Scottie Pippen. Cooper started out as Nike’s first design intern in the 90s, ascending from there to influence classics like the Nike Free, Air More Uptempo, and Air Max Plus. Cooper talks about his long resume, his design philosophy, and what he believes is the future of the industry. He also gives updates on his current work with EQLZ and Better Guards. At the top of the episode, Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty anticipate next year’s “Bred” Air Jordan 1 and break their moratorium on the Air Max Dn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron Cooper on Designing Nikes for Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, and Kevin Garnett

Drake dissed Kendrick Lamar last week for being a “big stepper” with a size-7 men’s on, but it turns out the bar wasn’t actually factual. As the Rap War of 2024 now includes a footwear-related jab, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty reacted to the line and also talk about the clarification, from sneaker store Rif LA, that Lamar is in fact a few sizes up from that. Also, the co-hosts discuss Nike’s Olympic rollout of its A.I.R. prototypes in Paris, the plan to have less Air Force 1s in the market, and just how good Anthony Edwards’ AE 1 is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Debunking Drake's Kendrick Lamar Sneaker Diss

Paul Litchfield is a mad scientist, a shoe dog with decades of experience, and the innovator who created the original Reebok Pump. In this episode, he talks about his long history in footwear and the Pump’s iconic lineage from Dee Brown and Dominique Wilkins to Jackie Chan and John Cena. Litchfield, a fireball of Irish-American energy, has truly seen it all in sneakers. Lately he’s been making footwear at GoRuck, a company that’s laser-focused on legit training gear. Ahead of the Litchfield interview, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about the return of the “Flu Game” Air Jordan 12, the Nina Chanel Abney x Air Jordan 3, and the “Metallic” Air Jordan 5 retro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Madden Says the Sneaker Industry Is a War

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