Designer Brands

Name

Designer Brands

Legal name

Designer Brands Inc.

Website

https://designerbrands.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Designer Brands Inc. is a publicly traded (NYSE: DBI) vertically integrated North American footwear retailer and brand owner, operating 665 DSW, The Shoe Co., and Rubino stores plus a billion-dollar digital commerce platform, with a portfolio of owned and licensed brands including Vince Camuto, Keds, Topo Athletic, Hush Puppies, and Jessica Simpson distributed through Camuto Group to over 5,400 wholesale doors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Footwear Retail

NAICS

Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (4582)

SIC

Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Footwear Retail (Dance, Skate, Cleats, Bowling, etc.) (CRAAADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury & Designer Footwear (CRAAACAI), Athletic Footwear & Sport Apparel Retail (CRAMABAC)

Keywords

• Footwear retail
• Footwear design
• Omni-channel retail
• Brand portfolio management
• Wholesale distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail segment sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through DSW, The Shoe Co., Rubino retail stores and e-commerce platforms, representing approximately 88% of total net sales
2. Brand Portfolio segment: Sales of owned and licensed brands including Vince Camuto, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand, Topo Athletic, Keds, Hush Puppies through wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels, representing approximately 12% of net sales
3. Wholesale distribution: National wholesale distribution of owned brands and private label products for national retailers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Designer Brands is a vertically integrated footwear and accessories company that designs, produces, and retails footwear across women's, men's, and kids' categories. It operates more than 660 physical stores in North America under the DSW, The Shoe Co., and Rubino banners, complemented by a billion-dollar digital commerce business. Through the Camuto Group design and manufacturing platform, the company manages a portfolio of owned and licensed brands including Vince Camuto, Keds, Topo Athletic, Hush Puppies, Jessica Simpson, and Lucky Brand, sold through both direct-to-consumer channels and wholesale distribution.

Product overview

Designer Brands operates as a vertically integrated footwear and accessories company with three primary segments: Retail (DSW stores, The Shoe Co., Rubino), Brand Portfolio (owned and licensed brands including Vince Camuto, Keds, Topo Athletic, Hush Puppies, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand), and Wholesale/Distribution. The core retail platform is Designer Shoe Warehouse with over 500 stores, complemented by a billion-dollar e-commerce business. The Brand Portfolio segment includes owned brands (Keds, Topo, Crown Vintage, Mix No. 6) and licensed brands (Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand, Hush Puppies) designed and manufactured through Camuto Group. Designer Brands distributes nationally through major retailers while also selling direct-to-consumer through its own stores and digital commerce platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vince Camuto: Luxury footwear and accessories brand
• Keds
• Topo Athletic
• Jessica Simpson
• Lucky Brand
• Hush Puppies
• Kelly & Katie
• Mix No. 6
• Crown Vintage
• Louise et Cie
• the shoe co

Products and services

• DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse The primary retail banner of Designer Brands, operating 519 stores across North America as of Q1 2026. DSW offers a wide selection of footwear and accessories from national brands and owned brands through an omnichannel retail model with e-commerce capabilities. Aimed at general consumers seeking a broad assortment of women's, men's, and kids' footwear.
• The Shoe Co. Value-focused footwear retail concept operated by Designer Brands Canada with 118 stores in North America. The Shoe Co. offers affordable footwear and accessories targeting budget-conscious consumers.
• Rubino Footwear retail banner under Designer Brands with 28 stores in North America as of Q1 2026, offering footwear and accessories alongside the DSW and The Shoe Co. banners.
• DSW Digital Commerce Billion-dollar digital commerce business operating across multiple domains including dsw.com. The e-commerce platform enables direct-to-consumer sales and supports omnichannel capabilities including buy-online-pick-up-in-store and ship-from-store.
• Camuto Group Design and manufacturing platform of Designer Brands, operating as a leading footwear manufacturer selling in more than 5,400 stores worldwide. Camuto Group owns licensing rights for Jessica Simpson footwear and Lucky Brand footwear and handbags.
• Vince Camuto Premium footwear and accessories brand owned through a joint venture with Authentic Brands Group. The brand offers contemporary women's shoes and accessories sold through DSW stores and wholesale channels.
• Keds Iconic American casual footwear brand acquired from Wolverine Worldwide in 2023. Keds specializes in canvas sneakers and casual shoes for women, men, and children, extending Designer Brands' portfolio into casual and athleisure footwear.
• Topo Athletic Performance athletic footwear brand focused on functional running and fitness shoes. Topo Athletic has shown strong growth within the Brand Portfolio segment, with consistent double-digit sales increases.
• Hush Puppies Comfort-focused casual footwear brand for which Designer Brands holds exclusive North American licensing rights across all channels. Hush Puppies offers slippers, casual shoes, and business casual footwear.
• Jessica Simpson Footwear Women's fashion footwear brand licensed through Camuto Group. Jessica Simpson footwear offers trend-driven styles and has demonstrated strong growth within the Brand Portfolio segment.
• Lucky Brand Footwear Casual footwear brand licensed through Camuto Group, offering bohemian-inspired shoes and accessories. Lucky Brand footwear is sold through DSW and other retail partners.
• National Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of owned and licensed brand products to national retailers and international distributors, leveraging the Camuto Group design and manufacturing platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered full-year adjusted operating profit of $65.2 million, significantly above guidance range of $50-55 million
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wolverine WorldwidecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 February 2023Acquired Keds footwear brand from Wolverine Worldwide and expanded licensing agreement for Hush Puppies in North America, extending Designer Brands' portfolio into casual and athleisure footwear including the kids segment.
• Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design (PLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2022Designer Brands invested $2 million in JEMS by PENSOLE, the first Black-owned footwear factory in the United States, producing shoes designed by PLC graduate students to be sold exclusively at DSW. Partnership aims to increase diversity in the footwear industry.
• Soles4SoulsminorOthersCharitable partnership donating footwear to those in need. Designer Brands has donated more than thirteen million pairs of shoes to the global non-profit Soles4Souls since 2018.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foot Locker: Multi-banner North American footwear retailer (Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Kids Foot Locker). Directly comparable to DSW as a specialty footwear chain serving similar consumers with national brand assortments and a digital + store omni-channel model.
• Caleres: Operator of Famous Footwear plus an owned-brand portfolio (Sam Edelman, Vince Camuto prior to J venture). Closest structural peer combining specialty footwear retail with a brand design and wholesale business, mirroring Designer Brands' Retail + Brand Portfolio dual model.
• Genesco: Footwear-focused retailer operating Journeys, Schuh, and Johnston & Murphy, with a wholesale/licensing brand portfolio. Comparable as a specialty footwear retailer with a complementary owned-brand and licensing platform.
• Wolverine World Wide: Footwear brand operator and licensor of Merrell, Saucony, Sperry, Keds (pre-2023) and Hush Puppies. Highly comparable business model combining owned/licensed brands with wholesale distribution; Designer Brands acquired Keds from Wolverine in 2023.

Broad incumbents

• Skechers: Global branded footwear company with broad casual, athletic, and comfort lines distributed through wholesale plus growing direct retail. Overlaps with Designer Brands' comfort/casual categories (Hush Puppies, Keds) and competes for similar mid-market consumers.
• Deckers Outdoor: Premium footwear brand operator (UGG, HOKA, Teva). Comparable as a branded footwear company with growing direct-to-consumer focus; competes at the higher price points that overlap with Designer Brands' Vince Camuto and Jessica Simpson lines.
• Dick's Sporting Goods: Large-format sporting goods retailer carrying athletic footwear from Nike, Adidas, Brooks and emerging performance brands. Comparable on the athletic footwear retail side and a key channel for Topo Athletic; broader assortment outside footwear.
• Nike: Global athletic footwear and apparel brand sold through DSW, Foot Locker and other retailers. Major supplier to Designer Brands' retail floor and a competitive reference point for the brand portfolio's athletic exposure (Topo Athletic).
• Macy's: Department store chain that carries multiple Designer Brands-owned labels (Vince Camuto, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand) and competes for family footwear and apparel spend. Comparable as a multi-category omni-channel retailer with significant footwear adjacencies.

Emerging players

• American Eagle Outfitters: Specialty apparel and footwear retailer (American Eagle, Aerie, OFFLINE by Aerie) targeting young adults. Adjacent peer that overlaps with Designer Brands' casual footwear and back-to-school categories for the women's and kids segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/designer_brands
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/dswshoewarehouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/designerbrands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designer-brands-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/designer_brands

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Designer Brands