Artikel | article
Summary
ND
Charlotte Balling and Christian Hansen own Balling Brands, which acts
as agents for a number of high-end fashion brands in Denmark. There is
a common thread spun of authenticity, heritage, quality, great taste and
unique design throughout the brand portfolio. When it comes to Balling
Brands, the selection of brands reflects the philosophy of the company.
- Like with each of the brands in our assortment, our business is our li-
feblood. We are passionate about the brands we work with, and we care
about our customers. Many of our relationships go back 15 years. Busi-
ness and human relationships are two sides of the same coin, says a pas-
sionate Christian Hansen. One of the newer brands in Balling Brands’
portfolio is the American brand Steve Madden. Balling Brands has been
the agent of the brand in Denmark since January 2018 and has already
opened 90 stores that now carry the brand.
- The iconic shoes and bags fit like a glove into our concept. Steve Mad-
den is “for real”, and we’ve been in love with the brand ever since we
first saw a Steve Madden store in New York 12 years ago. While priced
lower than luxury goods, the products have a luxurious feel to them.
Steve Madden plays on the same playing field as the biggest fashion
houses, but the price is more affordable. Thanks to the more afforda-
ble prices, women and girls can and dare to wear things like a pair of
high stilettos in pink plastic if they should feel like it, says Christian
Hansen, emphasizing that the extensive collection, which is divided into
five drops, features shoes and bags for a wide audience - with a clearly
leri, som sender den kendte skohandler, forretnings- og
levemand et par år bag tremmer. Han fratræder som
CEO, men er fortsat ejer af Steve Madden, som er vokset
til et enormt globalt varemærke med både wholesale,
retail og online-salg. Manden Steve Madden er blevet
en erfaring rigere, og han erkender i dag, at grådighed
og penge ikke er alt. Nerven i forretningen er og bli-
ver hjerteblod, og inspirationen kommer den dag i dag
fra gadebilledet, fra ungdommen, fra musikken og fra
rock’n’roll.
Vigtigt værdisæt
- Steve Madden har sjæl og en – rigtig god – historie.
Steve Madden handler om at følge moden og om at have
det sjovt. Det er værdier, vi også værdsætter i vores for-
retning, konkluderer Christian Hansen, da NU besøger
ham i showroomet på Tagensvej i København, mens
hans bedre halvdel Charlotte Balling er ude på kunde-
besøg.
- Forretning handler om at gøre sig umage og om at
skabe og bevare tætte relationer til kunderne. Vi skal
evne at give både ærlig produktinformation og den
autentiske story telling videre til butikkerne, så de er
klædt rigtigt på, når forbrugeren spørger ind til et af
vore brands, slutter Christian Hansen.
Indkøbere på CIFF kan se nyhederne fra Steve Madden
på Balling Brands’ stand i C-hallen.
contemporary fashion statement and a humorous twist throughout the
collection.
- With Steve Madden, it's easy to adjust the mood and the overall look.
Inspired by a line from the Danish magazine ‘ALT for damerne’, Steve
Madden’s accessories are for “all the women you are”, says the director
of Balling Brands. The story of Steve Madden is worth a movie - and the
story of Steve Madden has actually been made into a film. His character
also appears in the blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street. In short, his
story is about him growing up in New Jersey in New York, after which
he attends college in Florida, where he seemingly devotes more time to
partying than studying. Steve Madden lands a job as a student work-
er in a shoe store, and it quickly becomes part of his image to carry a
shoehorn in his back pocket, and as it turns out, he is a natural born
salesman. Later, Madden drops out of college and gets employed in a
fast-growing shoe company. Here, he learns everything there is to know
about footwear – from producing and purchasing to managing a ware-
house, marketing etc. With the new skills, he now sets out to launch his
own stores, and a mate helps him get the company listed on the stock
exchange in the US. Here, he finds himself involved in financial fraud,
which sends the famous shoe dealer, businessman and bon viveur be-
hind bars for a couple of years. He resigns as CEO, but remains the ow-
ner of Steve Madden, which has grown into a huge global brand with
wholesale, retail and online sales. Today, Steve Madden has become that
much wiser, and he admits that there is more to life than mere greed
and money. The nerve in the business is and will always be about true
passion, and inspiration is drawn from today's street scene, the youth,
the music and rock'n'roll.
CIFF buyers can see the news from Steve Madden at Balling Brands' sa-
les booth in Hall C.
MODEBRANCHEN.
| ISSUE NO 02 JANUARY 2019 | 81