Kenneth Cole | |
|---|---|
 Kenneth Cole attends “A Man With Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole” | |
| Born | (1954-03-23)March 23, 1954 (age 71) |
| Education | Emory University (BA) |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Label | Kenneth Cole Productions |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | kennethcole |
Kenneth D. Cole (born March 23, 1954) is an American designer, social activist, business owner, and philanthropist. His global company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates clothing and other products under the labels Kenneth Cole New York, Reaction Kenneth Cole, and Unlisted, as well as footwear under the label Gentle Souls.
Born to aJewish family[1][2] inBrooklyn, New York, his father, Charles Cole, owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company. In 1970, Cole worked as a peanut vendor atShea Stadium in Queens.[3] Cole graduated fromJohn L. Miller Great Neck North High School in 1972. Before learning the family business, Cole graduated from Emory College of Arts and Sciences ofEmory University in 1976.[4][5] From 1976 to 1982 he was head of design and sales at El Greco.[3]
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house founded in 1982 by Cole. Wanting to preview his line of shoes at the New York Shoe Expo at theNew York Hilton,[6] but unable to afford the purchase of a hotel room or showroom to display his items, Cole inquired about parking a trailer two blocks from the Hilton Hotel. Upon discovering that permits for trailers were only granted to utility and production companies, Cole changed the name of his company from Kenneth Cole Incorporated to Kenneth Cole Productions, and applied for a permit to film the full-length filmThe Birth of a Shoe Company. In two and a half days, Kenneth Cole Productions sold 40,000 pairs of shoes, while chronicling the beginning of the company on film.[5]
In 1994, Kenneth Cole Productions went public, and since then it has been included onForbes annual list of 200 Best Small Companies four times through 2008.[7] Kenneth Cole Productions sells clothing and accessories under the following labels: Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Unlisted and Gentle Souls. The company’s products are also distributed through department stores, specialty stores, company-owned retail stores, and the internet.
Since 1985, Kenneth Cole has publicly supportedAIDS awareness and research. He is considered the first in the fashion industry to do so.[7] He uses fashion as a medium to promote socially conscious ads to help fight various issues, from AIDS to homelessness. He has donated proceeds to organizations such as Mentoring USA,amfAR, andRock the Vote.[7] Since 2005, Cole has served as chairman foramfAR. In November 2017, sixty people including prominent AIDS activists signed a demand that Cole step down from his position after a federal investigation for fraud and money laundering was opened.[8] In February 2018, Cole stepped down as Chairman after serving more than 30 years on amfAR's board and 14 years as Chairman, amid the controversialHarvey Weinstein deal.[9]
In 2001, the Kenneth Cole Foundation, in association with Cole's alma mater, Emory University, created The Kenneth Cole Fellows in Community Building and Social Change Program at Emory University.[4]
Cole's socially conscious advertising for the causes that he champions has created controversies. One such example was his campaign forWorld AIDS Day in 2005. He designed T-shirts for the campaign which were sold at such stores asBarneys New York, Scoop, and Louis Boston. The messages on the shirts stated either, "We All Have AIDS" or "I Have AIDS." Cole created the shirts in hopes that those with or without AIDS would wear the shirts, to help diminish the stigma attached to the disease. He said, "There is a legend of the Danish king,Christian X, who, during World War II, when Hitler insisted all Jews publicly wear ayellow Star of David, would wear the star himself, hence making it difficult to differentiate who was Jewish. This is kind of like that, hopefully."[10]
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.[11] In October 2007, Cole guest-starred in theUgly Betty episodeBetty's Wait Problem.[12][13]
In the summer of 2007, Kenneth Cole Productions also began their "Awearness" Campaign, which will produce a line of T-shirts to benefit the charities that the company supports, with proceeds going to the Awearness Fund.[14] The campaign is further promoted by a book "Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference" featuring celebrities assisting various causes.[15]
On May 1, 2009, Cole deliveredNortheastern University's keynote address at the school's commencement ceremony.[16]
In July 2023, Cole co-hosted an event entitled "We the Future" alongsideDeepak Chopra.[17][18] It explored the future of AI, and supported guiding AI from the outset to create positive disruption and to on a worldwide basis establish peace as the cornerstone of innovation.[17][18] It featured as speakers actorAlex Garfin on AI for entertainment, real estate investorCraig Hatkoff on AI's application to innovation, disability rights activistEddie Ndopu on AI and accessibility, astronautSian Proctor on AI and space, record producerJerry Wonda on AI and music, and model and actressGabriella Wright on AI and well-being.[17]
In 1998,People Magazine voted Cole as "Sexiest Businessman of the Year."[7]
On May 14, 2009, theLegal Aid Society of New York City honored Kenneth Cole with its inaugural Theodore Roosevelt Corporate Award at theWaldorf Astoria during its Servant of Justice Award Dinner. Proceeds went to benefit struggling New Yorkers living in poverty.[19] In November 2011, Cole was honored by theRide of Fame and a double-decker tour bus was dedicated to him in New York City.[20]
In 2011 and 2019,Footwear News named Cole Icon for Social Impact.[21][22] In 2016, Cole received theUNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador award.[23] In 2017, Cole received theCFDASwarovski Award for Positive Change.[24]
In 2020, Cole received the Person of the Year Award from theAmerican Apparel and Footwear Association,[25] as well as the Visionary Change Maker Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Child Mind. In 2022, Cole received the Suicide Prevention Champion Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Child Mind.[citation needed]
On February 3, 2011, Cole posted an update on Twitter that referenced the2011 Egyptian protests. The tweet, which indicated that Cole himself wrote the entry, said: "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at (website address) -KC".[26] After outrage and much parody on the microblogging site and on the web in general, Cole deleted the entry and posted a personal apology on Facebook.[27]
In April 2012, the designer sparked controversy portraying the national debate over education as one that pits "Teachers’ Rights vs. Students' Rights".[28] On the West Side Highway southbound entering New York City, a billboard punned to southbound commuters, ”Shouldn’t Everyone Be Well Red?”[29] OnSalon,David Sirota claimed that "Cole's campaign is thinly veiled ideological propaganda, and it comes with myriad problems, not the least of which is the simple fact that almost nobody believes "underperforming teachers" should be protected. That includes the nation's biggest teachers' unions, which have been outspoken in backing "accountability" reforms for teacher tenure. So right off the bat, Cole is constructing a straw man, one that has served over the years to pretend that public employee unions in general and teachers' unions specifically are about nothing more than making sure bad employees get to keep their jobs."[30] In response to negative outcry, his company announced on Twitter, "We misrepresented the issue—one too complex for a billboard—and are taking it down."[31]
In 1986, Cole met Maria Cuomo, and they married a year later. Maria Cuomo Cole is the daughter of formerNew York GovernorMario Cuomo, and sister of former New York State GovernorAndrew Cuomo and formerCNN journalistChris Cuomo.[7] One of his daughters, Amanda, hosted theMets Kids Clubhouse for theSportsNet New York cable TV network.[32]
Cole and his wife Maria purchased a $14.5 million co-op in 2008 onSutton Place, Manhattan. At one time, fashion designerBill Blass lived in this same building.[33] As of 2018, he and his wife reside on an 11.35 acre estate in suburbanPurchase, Westchester County, New York.[34][35] Together, they have three daughters.
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