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I know a bunch of good-looking shoes, with well-detailed design and production that you would not mind spending heavily on them.
And I also know brands of shoes which can offer you value that is not far from what I just described initially, but with a budget-friendly price for you. Yeah, it is not a wild dream.
There are brands of shoes that can deliver your fashion taste while still providing a cheap rate, and I’m going to talk about one of them alongside another brand of shoes that have been on the scene for quite some time.
In this article, I will be running an assessment on the Guess and Steve Madden brands of shoes, and you will find out the needed information on which is better between them.
Major Difference between the Guess and Steve Madden
The diversity which exists between these two brands is a product of their individual preference and target audience.
While the Guess brand of shoes is gripped on serving a present/trendy audience, which has the style current style in vogue at its core, the Steve Madden shoe brand is more engaged in serving a more retro-based audience with a touch of the present and a vision for the future.
The Guess brand of shoes is a whole flex in the shoe production circle, as they are perceived as a luxury brand, just like Steve Madden but it has the designer brand appeal more than Steve Madden.
Further, Guess has most of its shoes based more on women, such as sneakers, wedges, and boots; while the men’s version of their shoe collection suffers a lack of products.
This is a different case in the Steve Madden brand which has more male products than females since the brand itself started in the industry by catering to shoes for men.
Guess Shoes Review
The Guess shoe collection is a branch of a bigger American brand that deals in clothing and other related accessories, the Guess brand.
This now-famous brand started as a retail store as back as 1981, when a group of four brothers (Marciano brothers) left Europe for American soil, in search of a greener pasture and an avenue to express their fashion prowess.
However, the Guess clothing brand gave rise to the Guess shoe and it had a purpose, which is to represent affordable luxury and style.
And for the past years of operation, the shoe collection has proven up to the task of bringing in new designs which resonate with the current trend, with budget-friendly cost that has made people doubt their quality.
Coming to that, the quality of these shoes is exactly what you would expect from an average luxury brand, as they are made to tackle style and not quality.
These shoes also have a fusion of petite-size inventory, which means that it covers even the footwear need of narrow-footed people.
To buttress a point I made earlier, most of the shoes from Guess are for women [sneakers, wedges, boots, dress shoes], while men’s shoes [loafers (Askers, Atilo), sneakers (Santoro, Payor)] are only a few. Nevertheless, the shoes are made with great designs and a new-age inspiration.
Pros:
- Affordable designer shoes.
- Stylish and new-age-inspired production
- Appeals to a younger and vibrant generation.
Cons:
- Low quality to price ratio.
- Not durable.
Steve Madden Shoes Review
The Steve Madden shoe brand is a name to reckon with in the contemporary shoe production field, because of its value for quality and durability.
The brand was established in the year 1990, by creative and enthusiastic designer Steven Madden. The founder Steve Madden made sure that the brand lives up to the expectation of people as the brand bears his name, and he did that by bringing in his A-game in the design and styling of his shoes.
Currently, Steve Madden shoes are one of the best among their contemporaries and it continues to prove their relevance with more appealing products.
Some of their products include presentable dress shoes, boots, and sneakers for men; they also cater to women’s shoes with their heeled boots, cute dress shoes, and multifunctional sneakers.
All these shoes are made with quality as a watchword and also with the emphasis of fusing a retrospective fashion sense into the current trend.
After years of having its shoes produced in bulk in China and neighboring Asian countries, the brand pulled off due to complaints of quality downsizing.
They now have their products manufactured in more competent industries in Mexico and some countries in the South American continent.
Pros:
- Fusion of retro-fashion and current trends.
- High-quality materials.
- Stylish
- Good build quality.
Cons:
- Poor customer service.
- Unfavorable return policy.
- A bit costly.
Head-to-Head Comparison between Guess and Steve Madden Shoes
I know not a lot of people get to put these brands of shoes up against each other, probably because of how diverse they are.
But I will be making an exception with this article, as I put these two brands on a comparative scale, to ascertain their strengths and weakness.
I believe having an understanding of these shoe brands gives the purchasing power back to you as the buyer. The basis of my comparison entails the following:
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Price
The difference in market value between the Guess and Steve Madden shoe brands is very obvious and clear. Even at the status of Guess as a designer and luxury brand, it is still not priced as much as the Steve Madden shoes.
That is why it was termed as an affordable luxury brand, which is one you can purchase without having to ask for a financial audit from your accountant. Steve Madden on the other hand is not pricey, but it is higher than most brands of shoes contending against it.
The price variation between Steve Madden and Guess shoes is pitched at a difference of $20.
Citing two of their products from a reputable e-commerce store Amazon, a Guess Women’s Loven 3 Sneaker is priced at a starting price of $38.35, while a Steve Madden shoe of the same style and gender specification Steve Madden Women’s Starling Sneaker is at a starting price of $68.
This means that the Steve Madden shoe brand has a higher market value than that of Guess.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Design and Style
Guess shoe brand has a lot of modernity and trend infused in their designs, which makes them a sight behold whenever you step into a store.
Their design which resembles that of Gucci shoes has often than not made people buy them because they look like Gucci.
On a brand level, the Guess clothing brand is for the modern man which prompted them to make important people like celebrities as their face or ambassador citing singer Camila Cabello, who became the new face of Guess in 2018.
In a not-too-opposite manner, Steve Madden is both a retrospective and a modern brand. Their style fuses the fashion ideas of the 90s with that of the early 2000s to produce shoes that stand the test of time and countless fashion evolution.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Build Quality
What more do you need in a relatively affordable premium brand than its firm construction process. From my experience, I know that most shoes fall out or a tagged a ‘no-way’, because of how poor they were made.
The end product of every shoe or footwear is a direct reflection of the build quality. Now back to my comparison, Guess shoes are fancy, yes; but they lack the rigidity and rugged outlook which Steve Madden show with every of their product.
It is almost as if, Steve Madden is made for those with a stronger taste in shoes, while Guess is for those I call ‘fashion-flings’.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Stitching
There are only a few dress shoes made by Guess, while the majority are sneakers. Steve Madden on the other hand has a whole bunch of dress shoes, and some sneakers for both men and women too.
Judging by sneakers, both of the shoe brands follow the Vulcanized pattern of stitching for shoes, which were initially used on Chelsea boots.
However, the few Guess dress shoes available follow the same traditional stitching for dress shoes which is also used by Steve Madden shoes; the Blake/Open stitching method.
This method involves the sewing of the shoe welt and the outsole, without leaving any trace of thread behind the sole of the shoe.
The stitching pattern is famous for its neatness and durability, a trademark that I presume is synonymous with the Steve Madden shoe brand.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Fit and Sizing
Most of the shoes made by Guess run true to size, at least that is my observation. At most, they tend to run a bit small in size, but their fitting is superb.
This accords them with the designer status as it shows how committed they are to providing stylish shoes with a lace of modernity and new-age inspiration. This is what qualifies them for the tag of a trendy shoe brand, with a petite-size inventory.
For Steve Madden, it is a similar case as they are made while having people of narrow feet in mind.
The general tip in choosing a Steve Madden shoe is to size up because they incorporate the American sizing pattern in their shoes, which is a tad less in size when compared to other sizing patterns like the UK.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Leather
Most of the shoes from Guess, particularly their sneakers and dress shoes are made from faux leather. The use of faux leather in the production of shoes is not a new thing in the industry, as it has been in use for quite a long time.
Shoes made with faux leather look pretty, and stylish and are dubbed designer shoes; because that is the whole point of using faux leather.
They always appear too shiny and attractive that you would mistake them for quality leather, but the after-effects are disheartening because they are prone to peel off.
On the other side of the scale, Steve Madden comes stronger, rugged, and looks just like a rock due to the use of real and quality leather in constructing most of their products.
This marks them as more qualitative than other shoe brands in their league.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Quality
The quality ratio between these two shoes is very much fathomable because the difference is very clear and concise.
While Steve Madden shoes are bent on producing shoes known for their quality and durability, I believe Guess shoes are more of a designer-based brand of shoes.
This places Steve Madden shoes above Guess brand of shoes, in terms of quality, class, and worth.
Guess vs Steve Madden Shoes: Outsole and Insole
The Guess brand of shoes mainly makes use of synthetic materials in the production of their shoes. Some of these synthetic materials include faux leather, spandex, and rubber.
While faux leather is used for the upper body of the shoes, the outsole of most of their shoes is made with rubber.
The insoles are often made with foam-like material which supports the arch and also provides enough comfort on the footbed.
For the Steve Madden shoes, there is a stretch feature that makes the shoes quite comfortable precisely after 2-3 times of wear.
Although they come stiff upon purchase, the stretch function makes them fit in well and very comfortable after usage like 3 times.
Final Verdict
This is the point where I draw a judgmental line between the Steve Madden shoes and the Guess shoe.
After much consideration along the lines of the factors of quality, price, and material; I would pick the Steve Madden shoes as more of a better option than the Guess shoes.
First, they are made from quality material and are fairly equal in ratio to their price. Plus, they are a fusion of retrospective fashion and modern style, which puts them in the position of an evergreen brand of shoes.
Conclusion
To draw the curtain on the comparison between these two brands, I will say that your choice of a good shoe is a factor of knowing how well they are made and their chances at durability.
And I believe this article gives you the clues you need to make sure you make the right decisions in purchasing shoes from either the Guess shoe brand or from the stables of Steve Madden.
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