How I Built This with Guy Raz Kenneth Cole: Kenneth Cole
Nov 16, 2020
Kenneth Cole, founder of Kenneth Cole Productions, is a fashion innovator and social activist. He shares the story of launching his shoe business from a truck in Manhattan and how he turned challenges into opportunities. The conversation highlights his bold connection to the AIDS crisis in the '80s through impactful marketing campaigns, navigating retail changes, and the shift to direct-to-consumer sales. Cole discusses adapting to post-COVID consumer needs while emphasizing the importance of social responsibility in fashion.
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Early Hustle
- Kenneth Cole's first job was selling peanuts at Shea Stadium during the 1969 World Series.
- He leveraged this experience to get a job at Madison Square Garden, seeing Knicks and Rangers games.
Shoe Business Entry
- Kenneth Cole initially planned to be a lawyer, studying political science at Emory.
- However, his father's factory superintendent's resignation led him to learn the shoe business.
Candies Shoes
- While working for his father, Kenneth Cole helped launch a new line of shoes called Candies, targeted at young women.
- They were inspired by Mary Jane-style shoes he and his father found in Europe.
