On November 26, Kenneth Cole addressed an auditorium packed full of Columbia Business School students, eager to hear from the founder, chairman and CEO of one of the most highly recognized fashion houses in the world. Over the company's twenty-year history, Kenneth Cole has distinguished himself in the fashion industry by successfully uniting business acumen with philanthropic interests.Mr. Cole's speech began with a retrospective of his twenty years in business. His extraordinary creativity and drive to succeed became immediately evident. When founding the company in 1982, the typical approach for a new shoe entity was to book a room at the Hilton and become 1 of about 1000 other companies attempting to sell their goods. As well as being costly, Mr. Cole did not feel that this would provide the unique identity necessary for his new company to succeed. As a result, the designer decided to pursue a completely different strategy - he first went to the mayor's office to determine how to get permission to park a 40 foot trailer in Manhattan, and quickly learned that New York City will only provide parking permits for utility companies or production companies shooting full length feature films. In response to this discovery, Mr. Cole immediately changed his company's name to "Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.", and applied for a permit to shoot a full-length film entitled "The Birth of a Shoe Company." Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. opened on December 2, 1982 out of a trailer. The strategy was an immediate success - selling 40,000 pairs of shoes in three days!Because of the company's early success, Mr. Cole faced the decision of how to strategically grow the brand. Rather than concentrating on expanding the customer base to accommodate the mass market, Mr. Cole decided to maintain the brand's high quality and focus and sell new categories of items to its existing customer base. Thus, Kenneth Cole supported its men's and women's shoe offerings by launching handbags, accessories, outerwear, and clothing. Most recently, Kenneth Cole has extended its brand to fragrances, a business that requires a deeper relationship with the customer and is driven by packaging and marketing activities.When reflecting on his career and accomplishments, Mr. Cole commented that fashion should be seen as a powerful tool, in that it enables you to present yourself however you desire. Even though the fashion industry alone is not going to change the world, he recognizes the opportunity that his company has given him to make an impact and a real contribution to society. For Mr. Cole, building a successful business is not just about making money, and the designer has implemented numerous initiatives aimed at helping his company help others. In the mid-80's, a pervasive silence surrounded the issue of AIDS, and Mr. Cole realized that within this silence, all he had to do was whisper and his efforts would be heard. So, he joined the board of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (Amfar), and promoted a message that AIDS affects all of us, that there is no cure, but that we can contain it. Relying on his company's advertising budget, Mr. Cole could help educate the public about this epidemic. These early AIDS initiatives were the beginning of his commitment to addressing social problems in the larger community. In the late 1980's, homelessness was a growing social issue. Recognizing that if you do not look the part, you have no hope of getting a job, Kenneth Cole started a campaign to help homeless people obtain shoes. By bringing in a pair of shoes you are not wearing Kenneth Cole would provide a discount on a new pair. This campaign has continued, and today the company collects both shoes and clothing in a nationwide drive throughout the month of February. This socially responsible path has become part of the culture, collective energy, and success of Kenneth Cole Productions Inc.The event concluded with a book signing of his recently published title, "Footnotes: what you stand for is more than what you stand in". The book is not only a history of his entrepreneurial beginnings and the evolution of his company, but also outlines the company's commitment to social activism. His presentation imparted some significant lessons about how to strike a balance between business and social goals. As Kenneth Cole has demonstrated through his actions over the last twenty years, it is entirely feasible to achieve great success by pursuing a business agenda integrated with social values.