PRNewswire - November 12, 2008

For 25 years, Cole has brought New York fashion sensibility to his customers while also leading the industry in terms of leveraging his advertising and marketing as well as his role as an influential leader to raise awareness of important social issues. In 1985, Cole was one of the first people to use his advertising campaigns to speak out about the issue of AIDS, which was two years before the nation's president acknowledged the crisis. He was also one of the first board members of amfAR, the world's largest HIV/AIDS research organization, where he has served as Chairman for the past four years. Cole was also a founding member of HelpUSA, the largest provider of housing, jobs and services for the homeless in the US. Cole's activism extends to the film and fashion industries, serving as a board member of the Sundance Institute and as a board member on the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Cole said about the occasion, "I've said for 25 years that 'What you stand for is more important than what you stand in.' I have been fortunate in my life to have been given an opportunity and a forum through which to deliver a message of activism and awareness. I wanted to commemorate the 25th anniversary of my company by celebrating the people and the stories that have inspired me -- people who have achieved extraordinary change often through ordinary acts or resources. We're launching the AWEARNESS book and initiative with the hope that we can encourage everyone to get involved to help make a difference."

Conceived and edited by Cole, the book is comprised of eighty-six compelling essays from ninety contributors who tell their stories of inspiration and service along with resourceful information in the "How To" and "Where To" sections about how and where anyone can get involved at any and every level -- all one needs as they seek to enter or in the future explore the fulfilling world of service and volunteerism. The book is organized into nine chapters of relevant topics for our times: POLITICAL ACTIVISM, HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL LIBERTIES, HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY, WELL-BEING, HIV/AIDS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, THE ENVIRONMENT, and YOUTH AND EDUCATION.

Contributors include well-known personalities such as JON BON JOVI, LANCE ARMSTRONG, ROSARIO DAWSON, ROBERT REDFORD, DON CHEADLE, LUDACRIS and RACHAEL RAY to elected officials including NYC MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM and NEWARK MAYOR CORY BOOKER to activists the world may not be as familiar with such as Rwandan refugee JACQUELINE MURAKATETE, anti-genocide activist JOHN PRENDERGAST, AIDS activist PETER STALEY and social entrepreneur BLAKE MYCOSKIE of Tom's Shoes to activists ROBERT KENNEDY, JR. AND MARTIN LUTHER KING III.

AWEARNESS: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference (Melcher Media; 254 Pages ISBN: 978-1-59591-046-2; $25.00; 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this book at Kenneth Cole stores, Awearness.com or 1-800-KEN-COLE will be donated to the AWEARNESS Fund*)

EXCERPTS FROM AWEARNESS: INSPIRING STORIES ABOUT HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

Kenneth Cole on a life's influences and inspirations: "People have often argued that business and community service are independent and should not be confused. I believe, and clearly I am not alone here, that their roles today are not independent but, in fact, interdependent. This interdependence and need to support each other has never been quite as prevalent or as necessary as it is today."

Robert Redford on keeping speech free: "Change is going to come from the ground up, not from the top down. We'll have a better movement from the grass roots -- where the public is, where the voices of America are."

Jacqueline Murekatete on genocide prevention: "After I learned about the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide, and the Bosnian genocide, it became clear to me that what had happened in Rwanda in 1994 was not unique to Rwanda, that genocide had happened before and could happen anywhere. I realized it was a cycle that would continue to repeat itself for as long as we permitted it by our silence, our indifference, and lack of actions to prevent it."

Martin Luther King III on community building: "Nonviolence teaches us how to live on a higher level with higher standards. The nonviolent principles of service and love are the bricks and mortar that we need in order to build the "beloved community" and realize my father's dream."

Chris Gardner on giving and getting second chances: "I'm proud to have put a face on homelessness -- and it's not the face of a drug addict or a convict."

Lance Armstrong on starting a movement: "For me, the most important thing for our organization is to try to make this disease a political issue. This is the number one killer in our country. Every time people ask why we are in Iraq or why this or why that, we should also be asking why we are still losing an American every minute to this disease."

Alice Waters on the connection between Earth and plate: "Once you understand where your food comes from, environmentalism becomes a part of you. It's not an abstract notion; it's a visceral connection. You want every landscape to be an edible landscape. You want to rip up every lawn and plant something tasty to eat."

THE AWEARNESS INITIATIVE

Earlier this year, Cole launched the AWEARNESS FUND, a not for profit initiative which encourages, empowers and supports acts of service, volunteerism and social change. The first step in the initiative was to launch the AWEARNESS BLOG (www.Awearness.com) with the mission is to encourage a relevant and inspiring dialogue for social change. The book and the merchandise that are now being sold in retail stores and online are the first products that will contribute to the AWEARNESS Fund -- 100% of the net proceeds will be donated to the Fund.* Cole is committed to making the AWEARNESS Fund a viable informational and organizational source for the service and volunteerism movement. As the first major act of support, Kenneth Cole helped sponsor the Service Nation Summit held in NYC in September. The Summit brought together all of the major organizations focused on service representing a volunteer base of approximately 100 million people to organize around bringing service to scale, passing legislation and making service a part of the national dialogue and culture.

Cole will host a book launch party at his Grand Central store on November 12 where he will announce the formation of the AWEARNESS ALLIANCE whose purpose is to create a community of dedicated volunteers who strive to make a difference through service and volunteerism. The AWEARNESS ALLIANCE will utilize the social networking capabilities of the blog and the Awearness website to organize our community to contribute hours and resources to causes highlighted in the book and on the blog.

One of the goals of AWEARNESS is to give a voice to the book's contributors who Cole has designated to be CHANGE AGENTS. Change agents are those individuals who commit their resources to affect meaningful positive social change. Kenneth Cole retail stores will be used to host fundraising events for CHANGE AGENTS and their causes to raise money, awareness and to recruit for eligible, service-based organizations.

Also at the book launch party, an AWEARNESS SHOP-IN-SHOP will be previewed, which will feature the AWEARNESS product and will enable customers to access information from computer kiosks and sign up for local volunteer opportunities in partnership with VOLUNTEER MATCH(TM), the internet's largest and most popular volunteering network.

AWEARNESS EVENTS AND APPEARANCES

Cole will support the launch of the book with these events and appearances:

San Francisco, November 17 -- Hosted by Kenneth Cole and Mayor Gavin Newsom

Boston, November 20 -- Hosted by Kenneth Cole and Service Nation founder Alan Khazei

New York, November 24 -- Kenneth Cole will make a public appearance at Barnes&Noble Tribeca

ABOUT KENNETH COLE PRODUCTIONS, INC

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. designs, sources, and markets a broad range of footwear, handbags, accessories and apparel under the brand names Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Unlisted, and Tribeca, as well as footwear under the proprietary trademark Gentle Souls and under the licensed trademark Bongo. The Company recently acquired the Le Tigre trademark and has launched several classifications of the Le Tigre brand at JCPenney stores nationwide. The Company has also granted a wide variety of third party licenses for the production of men's, women's and children's apparel as well as fragrances, watches, jewelry, eyewear, and several other accessory categories. The Company's products are distributed through department stores, better specialty stores, company-owned retail stores and its e-commerce website. Further information can be found at http://www.kennethcole.com/.

* Net proceeds is defined as the purchase price less all costs associated with the product (including a reasonable allocation of overhead costs). At least 10% of the purchase price will be donated to the AWEARNESS Fund. The AWEARNESS Fund reserves the right to change the charities to which funds are contributed.

Source: Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.

CONTACT: Angela Niles, +1-212-713-6661, or Fay Smith, +1-212-373-5877, or Brad Tucker, +1-212-713-6683, all for Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.awearness.com/

http://www.kennethcole.com/

081112
PR081116

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .