Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Designer Brands Inc. (DBI)

You're looking at Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) because you know that a company's foundational Mission Statement, Vision, and Core Values are the blueprint for its financial execution, especially when the market is as volatile as it is in 2025.

The company, which aims to be shoe obsessed, is navigating a challenging consumer environment that saw Q2 2025 net sales decrease to $739.8 million, down 4.2% year-over-year, but still managed to deliver an adjusted diluted EPS of $0.34 in the same quarter. Does a commitment to core values like We Belong and We Do What's Right actually translate into the $20 million to $30 million in cost savings they are targeting this year, and how do these principles guide their strategy in a market where total comparable sales dropped by 5.0%? Let's defintely dig into the strategic framework that underpins their transformation.

Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Overview

You're looking for a clear-eyed view of Designer Brands Inc., the company behind DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, and I get it. This isn't just a retailer; it's one of the world's largest designers, producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories, and its strategy is evolving fast from a pure-play discount retailer to a brand-builder.

Designer Brands, which was originally founded as Shonac Corporation in 1969, rebranded in March 2019 to reflect its dual-pronged business model: a powerful retail distribution network and a growing portfolio of owned brands. This combination gives them control over both design and distribution, a key advantage in today's market. They operate through three main segments: U.S. Retail, Canada Retail (including The Shoe Co. and Rubino), and the Brand Portfolio.

As of the trailing twelve months ending August 2, 2025, Designer Brands generated $2.92 billion in revenue. Their product mix spans dress, casual, and athletic footwear, plus accessories for the whole family. They also manage a robust portfolio of owned brands like Vince Camuto, Keds, Topo Athletic, and Jessica Simpson.

• Founded in 1969; rebranded to DBI in 2019.
• Operates over 650 North American stores.
• Digital commerce is a billion-dollar business.

Latest Financial Performance: Q2 2025 Snapshot

When you look at the latest numbers, specifically the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year (ending August 2, 2025), you see a company navigating a tough consumer environment but showing signs of operational improvement. Net sales for the quarter were $739.8 million, a decrease of 4.2% year-over-year. That's a headwind, but the sequential story is more positive.

Total comparable sales decreased by 5.0%, but this represented a 280-basis point sequential improvement from the first quarter of 2025. This suggests their targeted initiatives-like a strong start to the back-to-school season-are starting to pay off. Honestly, in this macro-volatile environment, sequential improvement is a critical metric to watch. The adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) for Q2 2025 was $0.34, which actually beat analyst expectations.

The real bright spot in the product mix was dress occasion footwear. This category posted a 5% positive comparable sales increase in the quarter, and it now represents almost 12% of total sales. This shows the power of their owned brands and their ability to capture demand in specific, higher-margin categories, even when overall discretionary spending is cautious. What this estimate hides, of course, is the ongoing pressure from unseasonably warm weather and weak consumer spending in other seasonal categories.

A Footwear Industry Powerhouse

Designer Brands Inc. is defintely a major force, not just another shoe store. They hold leading market share positions in key product categories across women's, men's, and kids' footwear. Their scale, encompassing over 650 stores across North America and a powerful omni-channel infrastructure, positions them as one of the world's largest players in the footwear and accessories space.

Their strength comes from their dual model: they are a critical distribution partner for national brands through DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, and they are a growing design house with their own owned brands. This gives them leverage and a direct line to consumer data that smaller competitors just don't have. They are transforming and defining the footwear industry through a mission of being shoe obsessed. To understand the investor perspective on this unique model, you should check out Exploring Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Mission Statement

The mission statement for Designer Brands Inc. is clear and aggressive: to be one of the world's largest designers, producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories, transforming and defining the footwear industry through a mission of being shoe obsessed. This isn't just corporate fluff; it's the strategic compass for their entire business model, from the Brand Portfolio segment-which owns brands like Keds and Vince Camuto-to their retail operations like DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse. A mission like this is defintely critical, especially when navigating a tough consumer market.

You can see the direct impact of this obsession in their recent performance. For the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, Designer Brands Inc. reported net sales of $739.8 million, a decrease of 4.2% from the prior year, but their focus on operational initiatives helped deliver an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.34. This shows the company is committed to disciplined execution to build a stronger business, even with total comparable sales decreasing by 5.0% in the same period. They are focused on what they can control: the product and the customer experience.

Their mission is further distilled into a vision to inspire self-expression one step at a time, which guides the curation of their massive, diversified product portfolio. You can learn more about the structure that supports this mission here: Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Core Component 1: We Love What We Do (Passion and Product Obsession)

The first core component, We Love What We Do, is the human translation of being shoe obsessed. It's about cultivating a passion for the product that translates into a better assortment for you, the customer. This passion drives the revitalization of their product mix, which is a key initiative for 2025.

The company has been actively working to modernize its assortment, particularly in the athleisure category. Here's the quick math on their brand strength: in fiscal year 2024, sales of their top eight brands were up 25% on a full-year basis, showing that investing passion into key brands like Topo Athletic and Keds pays off. Topo Athletic, for example, represents over 10% of the total Brand Portfolio sales and grew over 70% in 2024. That's a clear return on product passion.

• Revitalize and modernize the assortment.
• Deepen styles offered with top brand partners.
• Focus on high-growth categories like athleisure.

Core Component 2: We Own What We Do (Accountability and Operational Discipline)

We Own What We Do speaks directly to accountability and operational discipline, which is vital in a volatile macroeconomic environment. It's the commitment to execution, even when consumer sentiment is low. This is where the company maps near-term risks to clear actions, like controlling costs and mitigating the impact of tariffs.

For 2025, the company expects to deliver between $20 million to $30 million in cost savings through disciplined execution and operational initiatives. This focus on efficiency is a direct result of owning their performance. It's not just about cutting costs; it's about making sure every dollar spent supports the customer-first and product-obsessed strategy. This level of financial rigor is what separates a long-term player from a short-term fad.

Core Component 3: We Do What's Right (Customer Value and Social Responsibility)

The final component, We Do What's Right, covers both the customer experience and broader social responsibility. For a retailer, doing right by the customer means delivering value and an elevated experience. For the planet, it means making a difference in the global community.

On the customer front, Designer Brands Inc. is elevating its omnichannel experience. A concrete example is the partnership with Imbox Protection, an in-store shoe protection solution, now available in nearly 500 DSW locations across the U.S. This simple service, priced at $8.99, extends the life of your footwear, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing customer value beyond the initial sale. Plus, the company has a long-standing commitment to global non-profit Soles4Souls, having donated over eleven million pairs of shoes since 2018. That's a measurable impact that aligns their business goals with a genuine social purpose.

Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Vision Statement

You're looking for the bedrock of Designer Brands Inc.'s (DBI) strategy-the vision, mission, and values-to gauge its long-term viability against 2025's tough retail environment. The core takeaway is that DBI's vision is less a single sentence and more an active commitment: to be one of the world's largest designers, producers, and retailers, actively transforming and defining the footwear industry. This vision is being tested right now, as evidenced by a Q2 2025 net sales decrease of 4.2% to $739.8 million. They have to execute on this vision to reverse those comparable sales declines.

The company's focus is on integrating its design and production capabilities with its massive retail footprint, which includes over 650 DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, The Shoe Co., and Rubino stores in North America. This is the engine that drives the transformation. For a deeper dive into the market's reaction, you might want to check out Exploring Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Vision Component 1: Transforming and Defining the Footwear Industry

This component is about shifting from a pure retailer to a brand builder. It means owning the entire value chain, from design (Topo Athletic, Keds, Vince Camuto) to the shelf. That strategy is defintely a high-risk, high-reward move in a period of macroeconomic uncertainty. The goal is to capture more margin, but it requires significant capital and flawless inventory management.

Here's the quick math on the near-term risk: Q1 2025 saw a net loss of $17.4 million, which improved significantly in Q2 to a reported net income of $10.8 million. That sequential improvement-a 280-basis point bump in comparable sales from Q1 to Q2-underscores that their operational initiatives are starting to work. Still, total comparable sales for Q2 still decreased by 5.0%. You need to see this transformation drive consistent, positive comp sales growth, not just sequential improvement from a weak starting point.

• Focus on private brands: Higher profit potential.
• Inventory levels: Ended Q2 2025 at $610.9 million.
• Debt load: Ended Q2 2025 at $516.3 million.

Mission: Being Shoe Obsessed and Inspiring Self-Expression

The mission statement is clear: Designer Brands Inc. is 'shoe obsessed' and works 'to inspire self-expression one step at a time.' This is the customer-facing side of the vision. It's not just about selling shoes; it's about selling identity and fashion. The mission dictates product mix, marketing spend, and the in-store experience at DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse.

To support this mission in a challenging market, the company is targeting 2025 cost-cutting measures to achieve savings between $20 million and $30 million. This is a critical action to free up capital for brand investments and marketing, which are necessary to truly inspire self-expression and drive traffic. What this estimate hides is the potential impact of those cuts on the customer-facing experience. If you cut too deep, you risk damaging the very mission you're trying to fund.

Core Values: The 'We' DNA and Operational Reality

The company's four core values are the cultural guardrails for executing the vision and mission: We Love What We Do, We Own What We Do, We Do What's Right, We Belong. These aren't just posters on a wall; they map directly to operational accountability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The value We Do What's Right is tangible: Designer Brands Inc. has donated over twelve million pairs of shoes to the global non-profit Soles4Souls since 2018. That's a concrete, measurable action that builds brand equity and aligns with consumer expectations. The value We Own What We Do is the one to watch on the financials. With the company having withdrawn its full-year 2025 guidance due to macroeconomic uncertainty, ownership means disciplined execution in controllable areas, like managing their cash position, which stood at $44.9 million at the end of Q2 2025. That's a tight cash balance, so every dollar spent must directly support the vision.

Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Core Values

You're looking for the foundational principles guiding Designer Brands Inc. (DBI), especially as the company navigates a volatile market, and the core values of We Belong and We Do What's Right are where the rubber meets the road. These aren't just corporate platitudes; they map directly to strategic initiatives, which is what we need to see as analysts. DBI's mission is simple: being shoe obsessed and inspiring self-expression, but the values show how they plan to execute that mission responsibly and profitably.

The company is focused on disciplined execution to build a more sustainable business, which is critical when Q2 2025 reported net sales decreased 4.2% to $739.8 million, even while delivering positive diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.22. That sequential improvement in comparable sales-a 280-basis point gain from Q1 2025-shows their strategic focus is starting to work, and those values underpin the long-term play.

For a deeper dive into the company's trajectory, you can read more about the context here: Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

We Belong: Fostering Inclusion and Empowerment

The core value of We Belong is Designer Brands Inc.'s commitment to creating an inclusive environment for associates, customers, and partners-a crucial component of human capital management (HCM). Honestly, great talent won't stick around if they don't feel included. This value is primarily championed through the Designer Brands Foundation, which was formally launched in August 2024.

The Foundation's purpose is to advance the empowerment of individuals by removing barriers, with a focus on empowerment, inclusion, and local communities. This is where the capital commitment comes in:

• The Foundation pledged $100,000 in community grants in its first year.
• A notable early contribution was a $50,000 donation to Girls on the Run International, a non-profit focused on empowering young girls.
• The focus on inclusion extends to the assortment, which is vital for a retailer.

This is defintely a long-term investment in brand equity, not just a short-term expense. You need to watch for future disclosures on the diversity metrics of their leadership team and supplier base to see the true financial impact of this inclusion focus.

We Do What's Right: Corporate Responsibility and Community Impact

The second core value, We Do What's Right, speaks to Designer Brands Inc.'s corporate responsibility and ethical conduct, particularly in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) areas. This is about making a difference in the footwear industry and supporting the global community, which is a key driver for younger, socially-aware consumers. The company is actively working to mitigate negative impacts identified in their value chain, such as GHG Emissions, Scarce Human Capital, and Waste.

A clear, quantifiable example of this value in action is their long-standing partnership with the global non-profit Soles4Souls. Since 2018, Designer Brands Inc. has supported the global community and the health of the planet by donating more than eleven million pairs of shoes. That's a huge number of product units diverted from landfills and put to good use.

In terms of operational discipline for 2025, the company has a clear financial commitment tied to efficiency and doing what's right for the bottom line, too. Management expects to deliver between $20 million to $30 million in cost savings over the course of the 2025 fiscal year, which is a direct action to preserve margins and control costs amid macroeconomic volatility. That's just smart business.

Here's the quick math: Q1 2025 net sales were $686.9 million, so a potential $30 million saving represents a significant boost to operating income in a challenging environment.