I’ll be honest: I wasn’t aware that Keyshia Cole was a serious shoe gal. So when I got the invite to have a little girl talk with my favorite, go-to singer when I just need some real, “I’m over him” tunes, I hopped at the chance just to see what she had created.
This being her second line with shoe powerhouse, Steve Madden, I was anxious to see what we’d get this time around with the R&B beauty.
So what did I find? Shoes for date night. Shoes for party nights. Shoes for a sexy night with your boo. Shoes to wear to your pole dancing class. Shoes that will make people turn their heads.
Just shoes for days, y’all.
Keysh gave the scoop on her collab with Steve Madden, and he even chimed in what it was like working with the songstress, as you’ll read below. But, before you read on, some real talk is in order. Are they pricey? Little bit. Are they comfy? Mine are. Are they over the top, sexy? Yup. Are they for the meek woman? Nope.
But, they’re still so damn cute.
Okay, read along.
EBONY: Steve and I were chatting before you came in and I told him I had no idea you were a real shoe girl.
Keyshia Cole: Oh yeah, 100%. But, I personally get dressed starting with my hair, first. Like, you can have a nice shoe on, but if your hair looks a mess it doesn’t matter. So my process is hair, shoes, jacket, jeans then a shirt.
EBONY: I’ve never heard that before. I usually keep it simple with a dress, then the heels then my hair and makeup.
KC: Really? Mmm, hmm, very classy. I rarely wear dresses. Like, I’ll never just put on a dress. I’ll do a skirt before I do a dress. Plus, I got to be ready to throw down, just in case, at any given moment.
What was the inspiration behind this line?
KC: Well of course I love bright colors and I definitely wanted my fans to have affordable shoes, but still stylish. I think we captured that. You know, this is the second round, so, we were just trying to get better.
EBONY: Steve told me earlier that you’re his favorite collaboration–
Steve Madden: –And I work with everybody. I work with tons of different people and I love working with Keyshia. She’s a real person. She’s talented, she’s beautiful and you know, it’s been good.
EBONY: What was the most critical part of working on this collaboration?
KC: Well, it’s pretty much always the same. But I won’t put something in the line if I wouldn’t wear it. But I mean it’s a collaboration as well. I listen to Steve he’s been in this business for plenty of years.
SM: But we still want to be authentic. That’s the word. I always ask,“Would you wear that Keysha?” If she says yes, then we’ll put it in. If she said “no” to a shoe I felt we could sell, and I didn’t win her over, then we won’t put it in.
EBONY: You really trust Keyshia’s eye. That’s great.
SM: Yes, and it’s actually brought out the best in Steve Madden because we made some great shoes for her, and there’s nothing like it in the market place. The shoes really are selling like crazy all over the country.
EBONY: Keyshia, what’s your favorite style of the group?
KC: I came up with the graffiti print, so I really like that one.
EBONY: Do you think you’ll branch into other aspects of fashion?
KC: I mean, I do like jackets. Jackets are my thing. So, it just depends. You know, I want to do what’s passionate for me. And I just really love shoes, I have more shoes than anything, you know. So, I’ll probably stick with this for a while.
EBONY: I can’t wait to see more of what you do in the future. Hopefully, this isn’t the last line.
KC: We’re actually talking about creating my own line and doing my own stores in a few different states.
Ebony: Any idea what the name would be for the line, or the store?
KC: Not yet. That’s what I struggled with in the beginning too. Like, I didn’t really want to name the shoe collection ‘Keyshia Cole’, because I didn’t want people to be biased. I wanted them to just to see the shoe, love the shoe and get the shoe. And get them because they wanted to. Not because my name was on them. Or, I didn’t want people to not potentially buy them because my name was on the line.
Ebony: I understand that, but I don’t think people would be biased; you always look cute.
KC: Thank you, I appreciate that.
Ebony: But, I get what you’re saying, you know. People can be tricky.
KC: Yeah, our culture can be weird with that.
Ebony: Yeah, it’s tough to know how your fans would react. But since your first line with Steve did well, I have a feeling any follow up lines would also do well.
KC: Yeah, but I haven’t decide yet. I’m still focused on just doing what I’m passionate about. But I’m happy about this collection with Steve Madden. I hope they send you a free pair!
