Kenneth Cole - Designer and Philanthropist

A fashion designer by profession, Cole established hisAsians. He, in fact, is known as the forerunner of
own company in 1982 under the name Kenneth Coletrends and fashion in today's modern world.
Productions. He first introduced a delicate collection ofAlthough very active in fashion designing, Kenneth
ladies' footwear, but over the years the companyCole has also made himself committed to societal
was able to produce a variety of fashion productsmovements founded for a good cause. He is a
and accessories, including a line of perfumes, for bothmember of a fashion community that takes stand in
the national and international market.fighting against AIDS. He has been supporting many
The products are distributed and marketed fromother global fights for corporate and personal issues.
different areas in the world under three major labels.What matters most for him is his dedication to
Included in the list are the unlisted.com, Reaction, andprovide a part of his marketing budget to support
his very own label. More than 30 product categoriespublic awareness. Knowing the benefits of the
are distributed in these labels, with the most recentmovement, Cole continues to serve the American
addition holding the name, the Kenneth Cole Women'sFoundation of AIDS Research (AmFAR) as a national
Collection.board member. He is also helping the HELP U.S.A.
This is a first ever company of its type that cameHomeless project since the year 1987.
out in the United States and is run and managed byHaving strong dedication to fashion and philanthropic
Cole. Cole has made a massive expansion though,movements, he was honored and awarded with the
bringing the name and his designs even to HongSpotlight Award by the Creative Coalition. He also
Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Amsterdam. He madereceived recognition from the Amnesty International
this expansion by creating a marketing strategy thatfor the 1998 Media Spotlight Award. The other titles
turned out very effective.and honors received by him include the following:
He distributed catalog mails under his name to moreHumanitarian of the Year by CFDA and Divine Design
than three million of consumers worldwide, and this(1996), Mother's Voices Extraordinary Voice Award,
marketing strategy is utilized every year. He also1996 Humanitarian Leadership award by the Council
established his own websites, each receivingon Foundations, Footwear News' Person of the Year,
thousands of visits per day. It was this marketingand The Fashion Medal of Honor Award by the
savvy tactic that has earned him an image renownedFashion Footwear Association of New York (1997).
not just by Americans, but also by Europeans and