Kenneth Cole

Located on Grant Street in the heart of San Francisco, CA, Kenneth Cole offers cutting edge style and pragmatic fashion all with a social conscience.

The Kenneth Cole clothing company has a distinctive startup story as well. Kenneth Cole wanted to start a shoe company, so he lined up companies in Europe with which he would work, flew to Europe, and arrived back in New York with about 40,000 shoes of his design. In order to make a name for himself, he decided to sell the shoes from the back of a 40-foot trailer in Midtown Manhattan. The only way to get permission from the city to park the trailer was to rename his company to "Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.," set up a camera, and employ models as actresses. He sold every pair of shoes in two and a half days. The clothing company still retains the name, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.

Located by car about 25 minutes north of San Francisco International Airport, Kenneth Cole at Union Square is within one mile of Ghiradelli Square, Haas-Lilienthal House, Palace of Fine Arts, Exploratorium, the Presidio of San Francisco, and BATS Improv Theatre. It is also a short drive from many of San Francisco's most popular sites, such as Fisherman's Wharf, Aquarium of the Bay, and the Coit Tower.