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.

Early life and education

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, his father, Charles Cole, owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company. In 1970, Cole worked as a peanut vendor at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City."How Did I Get Here?; Kenneth Cole,"
Bloomberg. Cole graduated from

John L. Miller Great Neck North High School John L. Miller Great Neck North High School or simply "Great Neck North," is a public high school, including grades 9 through 12, in the village of Great Neck (village), New York, Great Neck, New York, operated by the Great Neck School District. ...

in 1972. Before learning the family business, Cole graduated from Emory College of Arts and Sciences of

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

in 1976.Gleason, Jan
"Kenneth Cole Foundation donates $600K"
''Emory Report'', November 12, 2001"Kenneth Cole"
2006.

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...

. Accessed online March 10, 2008 From 1976 to 1982 he was head of design and sales at El Greco.

Career

Kenneth Cole Productions Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house that was founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole (designer), Kenneth Cole. History and operations Cole originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to ...

, 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 the

New York Hilton The New York Hilton Midtown is the largest hotel in New York City. The hotel is owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and managed by Hilton Worldwide. It has approximately 2,000 rooms and over of meeting space. The 47-floor building, north of Roc ...

, 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 film '' The 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. In 1994, Kenneth Cole Productions went public, and since then it has been included on ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' annual list of 200 Best Small Companies four times through 2008."Kenneth Cole"
.

AskMen.com AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit. History AskMen was ...

. Accessed online March 16, 2008 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.

Support of progressive social causes

Since 1985, Kenneth Cole has publicly supported

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

awareness and research. He is considered the first in the fashion industry to do so. 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 amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, known until 2005 as the American Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of ...

, and

Rock the Vote Rock the Vote is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization in the United States. Through registering new young voters, the group aims to "channel the energy among young people around racial, economic, and health justice into one of the mo ...

. Since 2005, Cole has served as chairman for

. 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. 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 controversial

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

deal. 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. Cole's socially conscious advertising for the causes that he champions has created controversies. One such example was his campaign for

World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired immu ...

in 2005. He designed T-shirts for the campaign which were sold at such stores as

Barneys New York Barneys New York is an American brand founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman that operated full-line department stores from 1923 until 2020. Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys' intellectual property in 2019, and has licensed the brand to Saks F ...

, 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 Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Ice ...

, who, during World War II, when Hitler insisted all Jews publicly wear a yellow Star of David, would wear the star himself, hence making it difficult to differentiate who was Jewish. This is kind of like that, hopefully." 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. In October 2007, Cole guest-starred in the ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' episode ''Betty's Wait Problem''."Kenneth Cole to Guest Star on "Ugly Betty""
August 7, 2007. Accessed online March 16, 2008 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. The campaign is further promoted by a book "Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference" featuring celebrities assisting various causes. On May 1, 2009, Cole delivered

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

's keynote address at the school's commencement ceremony."Fashion designer to speak at graduation", ''The Huntington News'', April 9, 2009. In July 2023, Cole co-hosted an event entitled "We the Future" alongside

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author, New Age, new age guru, and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthi ...

."Peace Innovation: Bridging Futures & Minds at AI Forum, a collaboration by Chopra Foundation, We The Planet, the Peace Innovation Initiative, & Kenneth Cole,"
Peace Innovation Initiative. 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. It featured as speakers actor

Alex Garfin Alexander Garfin is an American actor. He voiced the character Linus in the 2015 animated comedy film ''The Peanuts Movie'', and for his performance he received a 43rd Annie Awards nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a F ...

on AI for entertinment, real estate investor

Craig Hatkoff Craig M. Hatkoff (born March 19, 1954) is an American real estate investor from New York City. Along with his now ex-wife Jane Rosenthal, and Robert De Niro, he co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Institute in 2002. The t ...

on AI's application to innovation, disability rights activist

Eddie Ndopu Eddie Ndopu (born 1990) is a South African disability rights advocate. He is one of 17 global advocates appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Sustainable Development Goals. Background Eddie Ndopu was born in Namibia ...

on AI and accessibility, astronaut

Sian Proctor Sian Hayley "Leo" Proctor (March 28, 1970) is an American commercial astronaut, geology professor, artist, author, and science communicator. She became the first female commercial spaceship pilot and the first artist selected to go to be an astr ...

on AI and space, record producer

Jerry Wonda Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born August 9, 1975) is a Haitian record producer and musician. His first major success came as the producer of the Fugees' 1996 album ''The Score''. He served as the bass guitarist for the group and is the cousin of Wyc ...

on AI and music, and model and actress

Gabriella Wright Gabriella Wright (born 19 June 1982) is an English actress and model, best known for playing Queen Claude of France in the series ''The Tudors,'' Viola in the film '' The Perfect Husband,'' and Gina in the action thriller '' The Transporter Re ...

on AI and well-being.""AI for Peace" The Peace Innovation Initiative a collaboration between Chopra and Kenneth Cole,"
''Society & Diplomatic Review''.

Awards

In 1998, ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' voted Cole as "Sexiest Businessman of the Year." On May 14, 2009, the Legal Aid Society of New York City honored Kenneth Cole with its inaugural Theodore Roosevelt Corporate Award at the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

during its Servant of Justice Award Dinner. Proceeds went to benefit struggling New Yorkers living in poverty. In November 2011, Cole was honored by the Ride of Fame and a double-decker tour bus was dedicated to him in New York City. In 2011 and 2019, ''

Footwear News ''Footwear News'' (sometimes referred to as ''FN'') is a weekly print publication on the topic of women's, men's, and children's footwear. Founded in 1945, its coverage is for the fashion design and fashion retail industries. It was originally p ...

'' named Cole Icon for Social Impact. In 2016, Cole received the

UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS; , ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ex ...

International Goodwill Ambassador award. In 2017, Cole received the CFDA

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

Award for Positive Change. In 2020, Cole received the Person of the Year Award from the

American Apparel and Footwear Association The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association. AAFA was formed in August 2000 through the merger of the ''American Apparel and Manufacturers Association'' (AAMA) and ''Footwear Industries of America'' (FIA). Ro ...

, 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.

Controversies

On February 3, 2011, Cole posted an update on Twitter that referenced the

2011 Egyptian protests The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

. 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". 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. In April 2012, the designer sparked controversy portraying the national debate over education as one that pits "Teachers’ Rights vs. Students' Rights". On the West Side Highway southbound entering New York City, a billboard punned to southbound commuters, ”Shouldn’t Everyone Be Well Red?” On ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

'',

David Sirota David J. Sirota (born November 2, 1975) is the founder and editor-in-chief of '' The Lever'', a reader-supported investigative news outlet focused on exposing the negative influence of corporate corruption on American society. Sirota was a speechw ...

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." 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."

Personal life

Maria Cuomo Cole at Montclair Film Festival

In 1986, Cole met Maria Cuomo, and they married a year later. Maria Cuomo Cole is the daughter of former

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

, and sister of former New York State Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

and former

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

journalist

Chris Cuomo Christopher Charles Cuomo ( ; born August 9, 1970) is an American television journalist anchor at NewsNation, based in New York City. He has previously been the ABC News chief law and justice correspondent and the co-anchor for ABC's '' 20/20 ...

. One of his daughters, Amanda, hosted the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They are one of two major l ...

Kids Clubhouse for the

SportsNet New York SportsNet New York (SNY) is an American regional sports network owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC, itself a joint venture between Fred Wilpon's Sterling Equities (which owns a controlling 65% interest), Charter Communications th ...

cable TV network."New York Post-THE RUMBLE AN OFF-THE-BALL LOOK AT YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS CELEBRITIES"
January 6, 2008 Accessed online March 16, 2008 Cole and his wife Maria purchased a $14.5 million co-op in 2008 on

Sutton Place, Manhattan York Avenue, Sutton Place, and Sutton Place South are the names of segments of a north–south thoroughfare in the Yorkville, Lenox Hill, and Sutton Place neighborhoods of the East Side of Manhattan, in New York City. York Avenue runs from ...

. At one time, fashion designer

Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Ear ...

lived in this same building.Ohrstrom, Lysandra (2008
"The New York Observer-Kenneth Cole, Maria Cuomo Buy $14.5 M. Sutton Place Co-Op"
March 5, 2008 Accessed online March 11, 2008 As of 2018, he and his wife reside on an 11.35 acre estate in suburban Purchase, Westchester County, New York. Together, they have three daughters.

Books

* Cole, Kenneth, ''Footnotes: What You Stand for is More Important Than what You Stand in,'' New York: Simon and Schuster (September 30, 2003) * Cole, Kenneth, ''Awearness: Inspiring Stories about How to Make a Difference'', New York : DK Melcher Media (November 3, 2008). * Cole, Kenneth, ''This Is A Kenneth Cole Production,'' New York: Rizzoli (September 25, 2013)

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Kenneth 1954 births Living people 20th-century American Jews American fashion designers Jewish fashion designers Emory University alumni American businesspeople in fashion Cuomo family Designers from Brooklyn John L. Miller Great Neck North High School alumni 21st-century American Jews