Steve Madden, Alex Warren Headline Generation S.O.S Mental Health Benefit

Famed fashion designer Steve Madden and TikTok star Alex Warren will be headlining August’s annual Generation S.O.S. Substance Misuse and Mental Health Benefit for an audience that will include more than 500 teens and parents. 

Madden, whose well-chronicled journey to founding a shoe empire was nearly derailed by bouts of substance abuse, will be candidly discussing how he overcame his personal demons, including his battle with addiction and the fall from grace that led to his incarceration. 

DJ, actress, and filmmaker Samantha Michelle will be returning as emcee for the event, which takes place at a private residence in Water Mill on Friday, August 18. Tickets can be purchased here.

Steve Madden

According to The Cut, the Queens-born Madden first took off “taking styles he saw on the New York Fashion Week runways and reinterpreting them in functional, fun, and affordable ways.” Early on, he famously sold shoes out of his car before proudly taking on the mantle as an eccentric disrupter in the fashion industry.

Madden did a stint in prison for financial crimes tied to “Wolf of Wall Street” Jordan Belfort before getting clean and going on to steer the vision for his eponymous company now valued at more than $2 billion. Madden is well known for his philanthropy and was the subject of the documentary Maddman.

He has 250 stores worldwide and counting, including one on Main Street in Southampton Village, and also lives in Sag Harbor.

Alex Warren

Warren, meanwhile, is known for his story of overcoming homelessness and the death of his parents to transform himself into a self-made millionaire.

The 21-year-old YouTube and TikTok sensation has created some of the most viral internet videos of his generation and is featured heavily on the Netflix original show Hype House.

He will be discussing the importance of teens prioritizing their mental health without stigma or shame, and will also be performing his original music.

National nonprofit Generation S.O.S. (Sharing Our Stories) is raising money for its unique, peer-driven program that addresses the issues of substance misuse and prevention, social pressures, coping skills and other mental health issues among teens. 

For more information about the event or Generation S.O.S., visit generationsos.org