Kenneth Cole Breaks Down His Iconic Advertising Campaigns

1. #ADressing: HIV/AIDS. His 1985 campaign that addressed and challenged the stigma around aids. This was our first ever HIV/AIDS ad for @amfar. Back then, everyone needed to know that they were at risk: gay, straight, drug users, non-drug users, men, women, and children. Kenneth enlisted renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, and recruited most of the current supermodels of that time. He knew the women’s beauty and fame would draw attention to the ad, but he believed the faces of children could potentially do more to destigmatize the disease than any amount of celebrity. To avoid being seen as exploitative, Kenneth couldn’t have his shoes in the ad, so everyone went barefoot. 2. #ADressing: HIV/AIDS. His 1987 campaign that addressed and challenged the stigma around aids. Back then, it became clear that both condoms and clean needles were essential in preventing the spread of AIDS in America. Unfortunately, it was illegal to advertise a condom, let alone distribute clean needles. Nonetheless, we airbrushed out the brand name and ran this ad anyway. We thought the silhouette of the condom might be mistaken for a UFO or a graduation hat, but we think most people recognized it. As far as we know, this was the first time a condom had ever appeared in an ad in the US. (And as for any legal issues, we must have got one over on the authorities.) 3. #ADressing: Homelessness. His 1992 advertising campaign to address a homeless crisis. The shoe drive, which started as an event in