THE IMPACT OF KENNETH COLE
With heart and ‘sole’ and unflinching determination, Kenneth Cole and his global fashion company, Kenneth Cole Productions, have put ‘cause’ before ‘commerce’ for 40 years, igniting social awareness and change. Kenneth’s commitments to AIDS, homelessness, LGBTQIA+ rights, civil liberties, social justice and now, mental health, have given voice to the voiceless, defied and shattered stigmas, provoked conversation, built coalitions and inspired and empowered action for good. But back in the 1980’s, when Kenneth launched his shoe business, corporate social action was anything but business as usual. Only a small fraction of companies had made any social impact commitment whatsoever and no company had aligned their business with the terrifying ‘gay plague’. With HIV/AIDS ravaging the gay community, Kenneth Cole was losing dear friends to the disease. The world refused to acknowledge what was happening. The silence was deafening. Though many felt the association with AIDS could capsize his new business, Kenneth refused to look the other way. Rather, he used his platform to launch an ‘anti-stigma’ campaign to shatter the silence and prompt productive engagement.
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