Kenneth Cole's story in his own words:
Nineteen years ago I wanted to open a shoe company with limited money. I knew from experience that people had to get in quickly because so often new companies run out of cash flow before they have a chance to do business. I also knew it was easier to get credit from factories in Europe that needed the company than from American banks that didn't. So I set up factories, went to Europe, designed a collection of shoes, and returned to the states to sell them.
At the time, a shoe company had two options. You could get a room at the Hilton and become one of approximately 1,100 shoe manufacturers selling their goods. This did not provide the identity or image I felt necessary for a new business, and it cost a lot more money than I had to spend. The other way was to do what the big companies are doing and get a chic showroom in Midtown Manhattan not far from the Hilton. More identity, much more money too.
I had an idea.
I called a friend in the trucking business and asked to borrow one of his trucks to park in Midtown Manhattan. He said sure, but good luck getting permission. I went to the mayor's office, Koch at the time, and asked how they get permission to park a 40 foot truck in Midtown Manhattan. He said they don't. The only people the city gives parking permits are production companies that film full-length movies and utilities like Con Ed or AT&T. So that day I went to the stationery store and changed our company letterhead from Kenneth Cole, Inc. in Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and the next day I applied for a permit to shoot a full length movie entitled "The Birth of a Shoe Company".
With Kenneth Cole Productions painted on the side of the truck, we parked at 1370 6th Avenue, across from the New York Hilton, the day of the shoe show. We opened for business with a fully furnished 40 ft trailer, a director (sometimes there was in-camera film, sometimes not), models as actresses, and two of New York's best, compliments of Mayor Koch, as our doormen. We sold 40,000 pairs of shoes in two and a half days (all the available production) and we ran.
To this day, the company is still called Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and serves as a reminder of the importance of resourcefulness and innovative problem solving.