Sole man Kenneth Cole celebrates 25 years of fashion, footwear, and philanthropy with an inspiring read
Kenneth Cole is kicking off his company’s 25th anniversary not by throwing an all-out bash or decking out a pair of commemorative stilettos and selling them to the masses (though for the record, we wouldn’t be opposed to that). Instead, he’s rounded up 86 essays from some highly recognizable names (Bill Clinton, Elton John, Magic Johnson) and some lesser-known heroes and compiled them in Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference, the net proceeds from which will benefit his nonprofit Awearness Fund to encourage volunteerism and community service. Not what you’d expect from a man who’s made an incredible living in “something often perceived as being questionably relevant, that being the business of fashion,” as he writes in the book’s introduction. But throughout his career, Cole has repeatedly proven that not only is fashion relevant, it can also be a catalyst for social change. And he’s used his place in the fashion world for good, chairing the Foundation for AIDS Research and serving on the board of HELP USA, the Sundance Institute, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. I caught up with the designer after his Copley Place book-signing for a quick chat.
Q: You call the people in your book “agents of change.” Do you consider yourself one as well?
Kenneth Cole: I don’t, really. I just look for opportunities to add value to what I’m doing. I do to the degree that I can find ways to make everything we do bigger than what it is. I’m not sure it’s that different than what most people look to do. I think I’m just a little bit more persevering than others.
Q: One of your famous quotes is, “You can change your outfit or you can outfit change.” How do you think changing an outfit can outfit change?
KC: I think today, these are very tough times, so it’s hard to move mountains. But sometimes it’s a matter of how you’re looking and how you feel at the moment. Sometimes how you look affects how you feel. And it’s something that you can easily affect, and we’re here to help you do that.
Q: How has your social activism affected the way that you run your company?
KC: I do my best to make what I do the right thing to do. It’s hard sometimes, because at the end of the day, you have to make money and you have to answer to your shareholders and you also have to make an appropriate work environment. So we do what we can do.
Q: Considering that altruism is one of the themes in Awearness, it’s fitting that the book is out just before Thanksgiving. What are you most thankful for?
KC: I’m thankful that I can do what I do. I have the resources and the wherewithal to do projects like this.
Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference ($25) is available at Kenneth Cole New York (Copley Place, 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.867.9580; 128 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.867.0836) and www.awearness.com.
