The label born in a trailer two blocks from a shoe show — and built on selling 40,000 pairs in two and a half days.
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Kenneth Cole
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Unable to afford a showroom, Cole discovered trailer permits went only to production companies — so he renamed the firm Kenneth Cole Productions and filmed 'The Birth of a Shoe Company' from the curb. The house now spans Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Unlisted and Gentle Souls footwear, and went public in 1994.
Cole, born in Brooklyn in 1954, learned the trade at his father's El Greco shoe company before striking out alone. He is as known for socially conscious advertising — supporting AIDS awareness since 1985 — as for the shoes themselves, and was named Footwear News Icon for Social Impact in 2011 and 2019.
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Kenneth Cole sits in the accessible end of fashion footwear and accessories, so it is best judged as smart, on-trend value rather than heirloom craft. The company has built clothing, footwear and accessories across several labels since it was founded in 1982. If you want a polished, of-the-moment look at a reachable price, it delivers; for decades-long durability, you would look further up the market.
Kenneth Cole is positioned as accessible American fashion, with quality that tracks its price tier across its different labels. The company spans Kenneth Cole New York, Reaction Kenneth Cole and Unlisted clothing plus Gentle Souls footwear, so the experience varies by line. Match your expectations to the label, and choose the higher tiers when you want a more refined result.
Kenneth Cole Productions makes products under several labels: Kenneth Cole New York and Reaction Kenneth Cole, plus Unlisted, with footwear sold under Gentle Souls. They span different price and style positions within the same house, so the name on the label tells you roughly where a piece sits. Pick the line that matches the occasion and budget you have in mind.
Since 1985, Kenneth Cole has publicly supported AIDS awareness and research, and is considered the first in the fashion industry to do so. He has used fashion as a medium to promote socially conscious ads on issues from AIDS to homelessness, donating proceeds to organizations such as amfAR and Rock the Vote. That activist streak is as much a part of the brand's identity as its shoes.
Kenneth D. Cole, born March 23, 1954, is an American designer, business owner, social activist and philanthropist. Raised in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, he learned the trade through his father Charles, who owned the El Greco shoe manufacturing company, where Cole headed design and sales from 1976 to 1982. He then went out on his own.
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. was founded in 1982. The origin story is famous: unable to afford a showroom to preview his shoes near the New York Shoe Expo, Cole learned permits for trailers went only to production companies, so he renamed his firm Kenneth Cole Productions and filmed a movie, The Birth of a Shoe Company. Over two and a half days he sold 40,000 pairs of shoes.
Kenneth Cole Productions went public in 1994, and afterward it was included on Forbes' annual list of 200 Best Small Companies four times through 2008. Its products are distributed through department stores, specialty stores, company-owned retail stores and online. That growth followed the scrappy 1982 launch.
Beyond its clothing labels, Kenneth Cole Productions makes footwear under the Gentle Souls label. Footwear has been central to the company from the start, given Cole's roots at his father's El Greco shoe manufacturing business and the trailer stunt that launched the brand around shoes. If you are shopping the brand for shoes specifically, Gentle Souls is a name to know.
Yes. In August 2006 it was announced that Kenneth Cole Productions would stop selling fur in all of its garments beginning with the Fall 2007 fashion season. The decision fits the brand's broader pattern of tying its identity to social and ethical positions. For shoppers who weigh those values, it is a meaningful part of the brand's record.
Cole's socially conscious advertising has long centered on AIDS. For World AIDS Day in 2005 he designed T-shirts reading either We All Have AIDS or I Have AIDS, sold at stores such as Barneys New York, hoping people with and without the disease would wear them to diminish its stigma. He has served as chairman of amfAR, underscoring how deep that commitment runs.
Because the brand spans several labels at accessible price points, fit and materials differ from line to line, so check each piece on its own terms. Treat footwear and accessories with routine care, and choose higher tiers like Kenneth Cole New York when you want a dressier, more durable result. Matching the label to the use is the simplest way to be happy with it.
