Kenneth Cole Recaptures Its Heritage With Launch of A Interactive Platform

Under the direction of Founder and Chief Creative Officer Kenneth Cole, for nearly 30 years the brand has made a statement through its iconic, provocative voice.

This September, with the launch of a new, interactive digital platform ("WHERE DO YOU STAND?"), the company will return to what it does best: sparking a dialogue about important social issues, and encouraging individuals to get involved. The platform, which is the start of a larger ongoing initiative, will function as a virtual community hub for discussion and debate, and will launch with four of today's most relevant social issues: Marriage Equality, Gun Control, A Woman's Right To Choose, and War.

Understanding the growing role that social media plays in focusing global attention on important social issues, and rallying communities around these causes, for the very first time, the company will use a vanity URL on its campaign images as a call to action. Consumers will be encouraged to visit WhereDoYouStand.com to weigh in on specific questions about the social issues featured in the campaign. Once there, they will be able to participate in varying degrees of online debate using Facebook and Twitter. In keeping with the company's heritage, four short films bringing the issues to life will be featured on the site, as well as a video of Kenneth Cole detailing his motivation and inspiration for the campaign.

Consumers who prefer their fashion with a little less social commentary will have the option of visiting "What You Stand In," an area of the site where they will be able watch a series of shop-able style guide videos hosted by editors from GQ and Vogue TV. The videos will feature specific men's and women's trends styled by the two editors, and then consumers will be asked to vote and comment on which looks they like best, and on what Fall trends they prefer.

"Over the years I've used my brand platform to raise awareness about vital social issues to remind people that it's not just what they look like on the outside, but who they are on the inside; and not just what they stand in, but what they stand for," says Kenneth Cole. "When I first started out, the means of communicating we have today didn't exist. So in this new age of social media, I wanted to use this campaign to re-energize a debate with customers and like minded individuals around certain provocative, and at the same time, defining social issues."