Kenneth Cole: It All Started With A Shoe
By: Boyd Davis
(Photo below: Kenneth Cole on the runway, Fall 2005. Photo by Javier Mateo

Kenneth Cole started as a shoe designer. In fact, there is a great story in his website how his company started and why its name is Kenneth Cole Productions. It all started with a trailer parked in Manhattan, and a film that never reached Hollywood, "The Birth of a Shoe Company."

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. might have had humble beginnings but today, it is traded in the stock market and shoes is just part of their business. Womenswear, menswear and luggage are part of the company's product lines.

Aside from the fact that he designs great shoes and great clothes, Kenneth Cole is a designer with a cause. He had always supported charitable groups and always try to give back to the community. I'm not religous nor superstituous, but I think the saying, "God gives back tenfold what you give to those in need," is very true with Kenneth Cole. After all, Wall Street loves him, his clientele loves him and he has a thriving business. That's proof enough for me.

Spring 2006 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

Fall 2006 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)