Kenneth Cole

Designer Kenneth Cole was born in Brooklyn and is a graduate of Emory university. Kenneth Cole originally founded Kenneth Cole Incorporated, an American fashion house. Kenneth Cole Productions was founded in 1982 with very humble beginnings. Kenneth Cole could not afford to showcase his shoe line using conventional means, so he elected to petition the city to allow him to set up his exhibit in front of a fancy shoe store. After learning that the city would only grant permits to production companies, Kenneth changed the name of his company to Kenneth Cole productions. In addition, he asked the city to allow him to shoot a film entitled ‘The Birth of a Shoe Company’ focusing on the early days of his company. And so, under somewhat false pretenses, Kenneth Cole Productions was born.
On December 2 in 1982, Kenneth Cole productions began to sell their line of shoes out of the back of a truck. Keeping up the façade of the film company, Kenneth Cole Productions maintained a staff including a cameraman, a director, a lighting specialist, etc. Kenneth Cole even set up a velvet rope, which allowed a minimum number of people into the trailer at any given time. Over the course of 3 1/2 days, Kenneth Cole productions sold near 40,000 pairs of shoes. To honor his somewhat unorthodox beginning, Kenneth Cole maintains the name Kenneth Cole Productions Inc.
Kenneth Cole Productions opened its first store in Manhattan on Columbus Avenue in 1985. Shortly thereafter, he opened the second store in San Francisco on Union Street. Kenneth Cole retail stores are located internationally in countries such as Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Israel, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, and Australia.
Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. is also renowned for its typically controversial advertising campaigns. These advertising campaigns were typically overtly political, with a humorous backdrop. Kenneth Cole advertising typically uses puns and word plays, as well as infamous one-liners. True to his unorthodox form, Kenneth Cole maintains this advertising technique and has been all the better for it.
Kenneth Cole Productions is not just about causing a stir when it comes to fashion. Kenneth Cole is also an advocate for AIDS research, as well as a great many other corporate charities. He’s used his fame to help spearhead advertisements for AIDS awareness as well as to create awareness for the HELP USA organization that targets housing and job services for individuals without homes. Kenneth Cole was also very active in partnering with Jon Bon Jovi to create a line of lifejackets, the proceeds of which would be donated to Katrina victims.
Trends in Kenneth Cole fashion include couture dresses, formalwear for teens (prom dresses, tuxedoes, etc.), pageant wear, as well as an extensive line of high fashion shoes ranging from the casual to the most ornate and dressy. This success of Kenneth Cole Productions extends into many reaches of the fashion industry, as well as to charitable organizations and other socially conscious organizations. Growth of this renowned company shows no signs of slowing. Chances are, if you like to shop and you appreciate well-made high fashion garments, you will like Kenneth Cole Productions Inc.