Kenneth Cole Productions

Kenneth Cole Productions

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole. Born in Brooklyn, Cole is a graduate of Emory University. He originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to showcase his new line of shoes during market week at the Hilton Hotel in New York. Finding that he could not afford to purchase a hotel room or showroom to exhibit his line, he borrowed a truck and asked the mayor’s office for permission to park two blocks away from the Hilton Hotel in front of a fancy shoe building. Upon learning that permits were only granted to utility companies and production companies shooting full-length motion pictures, Cole changed the name of the company to Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and applied for a permit to shoot a full-length motion picture entitled “The Birth of a Shoe Company.”

With Kenneth Cole Productions painted on the side of the truck, they opened for business on December 2, 1982, in front of 1370 Avenue of the Americas. They had a fully furnished forty-foot trailer, klieg lights, a director, a rolling camera, models as actresses, and two NYPD policemen as doormen. A velvet rope allowed a limited number of people in the trailers and in two and a half days they sold forty thousand pairs of shoes. The company remains Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. to this day to honor this unusual beginning. [Cole, Kenneth. [http://www.kennethcole.com/scripts/aboutus/ourstory.asp "The Birth of a Shoe Company."] Kennethcole.com (accessed Apr. 7, 2007).]

In 1985, Kenneth Cole opened his first store on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, followed shortly thereafter by another store on Union Street in San Francisco. Kenneth Cole retail and Company Stores can now be found worldwide in countries such as Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Israel, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and South Africa.

Advertising

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is well known for its socially conscious and often controversial advertising. Campaigns often incorporate topical issues, such as addressing Imelda Marcos’ shoe fetish in 1986 with the line, “Imelda Marcos bought 2,700 pairs of shoes. She could’ve at least had the courtesy to buy a pair of ours.” In 1994, the company ran its first partisan political ad for the New York state gubernatorial race featuring George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, Cole’s father-in-law. The ad was an image of a muddy boot with the words: “Next time you hear George Pataki speak, might we suggest the appropriate footwear.” George Pataki did end up becoming governor and Cole received some backlash for his decision to run the ad.

Not all of their ads are as overtly political, but most have a humorous tint to them, often incorporating word plays or puns. Some of his better-known lines include: “What you stand for is more important than what you stand in,” “Are you putting us on?” and “Today is not a dress rehearsal.” Popular topics in his advertising include HIV/AIDS, homelessness, gun control, abortion, the environment and same-sex marriage.

The current advertising campaign uses the tagline “We need more than a surface mentality. The writing is on the wall.”

Charity And Social Causes

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is active in charities and often uses advertising, publicity and other corporate initiatives to support charitable causes. Cole’s advocacy for AIDS awareness and research has made the fashion house a legend in philanthropic circles. He is a longtime board member and current Chairman of the Board for The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).His involvement with amfAR began in 1985 when he organized a public service campaign that was photographed by Annie Leibovitz and featuring high-profile models such as Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova and Andie MacDowell. The tagline was, “For the future of our children. Support the American Foundation for AIDS Research. We do.” At the time, AIDS was still a relatively unknown and misunderstood disease. Cole managed to procure nearly 3 million dollars worth of donated exposure and press. In 1987, he was invited to join amfAR’s board.

In 2005, Cole spearheaded the “We All Have AIDS” awareness campaign with advertisements photographed by Mark Seliger and featuring such luminaries as Nelson Mandela, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Elton John, Sharon Stone, Richard Gere, Elizabeth Taylor, Alicia Keys, Desmond Tutu, Natasha Richardson, Eric McCormack, Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Belafonte, Greg Louganis and Rosie O’Donnell. He also has annual World AIDS Day promotions in his retail stores.

In August 2006, it was announced that Kenneth Cole Productions would stop selling fur in all of their garments for the Fall 2007 Fashion Season (2006) [http://www.hsus.org/furfree/news/kenneth_cole_fur_free.html"Kenneth Cole Gives the Boot to Cruelty, Pledges to Go Fur-Free"] ] 18 August,2006. Accessed online 26 March,2008] .

Cole is also very active with HELP USA (his wife Maria Cuomo Cole is currently Chair of the Board), a non-profit organization that is the nation’s largest provider of housing, jobs and services for the homeless. Recently, he partnered with rock star Jon Bon Jovi to create a line of jackets, t-shirts and fragrance under the Kenneth Cole New York label. The proceeds from the sale of these items supported HELP USA.Other charity campaigns include establishing relief funds for victims of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina respectively through the sale of t-shirts, giving discounts at his retail stores for donating shoes or clothes to the homeless and hosting numerous charity shopping nights at retail stores throughout the nation. [Kenneth Cole Charity. [http://www.kennethcole.com/awearness/site/about.aspx "Kenneth Cole Awearness."] Kennethcole.com (accessed Aug. 20, 2007).]

References

External links

* [http://www.kennethcole.com Official site]
* [http://www.kennethcole.com/awearness/ Kenneth Cole Awareness]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kenneth Cole (designer) — Kenneth Cole (b. March 23, 1954) is an American clothing designer. Born in Brooklyn, his father Charlie Cole, owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company. Before learning the family business and starting his own company in 1982, Cole studied… …   Wikipedia

  • Kenneth Cole — (or Ken Cole) may refer to: Kenneth Cole (designer) (born 1954), American clothing designer Kenneth Cole Productions, American fashion house founded by the designer Kenneth Reese Cole, Jr. (1938–2001), aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon Kenneth …   Wikipedia

  • Kenneth Cole (disambiguation) — Kenneth Cole may refer to:*Kenneth Cole (designer) or his fashion company, Kenneth Cole Productions *Kenneth Reese Cole, Jr., aide to Richard Nixon *Kenneth S. Cole, an American biophysicist *M. Kenneth D. Cole, who studied the effects of… …   Wikipedia

  • COLE, KENNETH — (1954– ), U.S. footwear and clothing designer, entrepreneur, civic activist. Cole, president and chief executive officer of Kenneth Cole Productions, not only founded an international footwear and clothing business, but through his company s… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cole Hauser — Hauser at the TCA 2010, July 30, 2010 Born Cole Kenneth Hauser March 22, 1975 (1975 03 22) (age 36) Santa Barbara, California …   Wikipedia

  • KCP — Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. (Business » NYSE Symbols) * Kansas City Playerz (Community » Media) * Kinesiology Certification Program (Medical » Physiology) * Kamenets Podolsk, Russia (Regional » Airport Codes) …   Abbreviations dictionary

  • Break (work) — Lunch break redirects here. For lunch breaks at school, see Recess (break). Two men taking a break during their workday. A break at work is a period of time during a shift in which an employee is allowed to take time off from his/her job. There… …   Wikipedia

  • Northeastern University — For other universities with a similar name, see Northeastern University (disambiguation). Neu redirects here. For other uses, see Neu (disambiguation). Northeastern University Motto …   Wikipedia

  • Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (K) — New York Stock Exchange listed stocks: 0 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W …   Wikipedia

  • List of New York companies — includes notable companies that are, or once were, headquartered in New York.0–9* 1 800 FlowersA* Aéropostale (clothing) * Alcoa (Principal Headquarters) * Alpha Books * Altria Group(previously named Philip Morris Companies Inc.) * Ambac… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”