EXCLUSIVE: Kenneth Cole is a master of the turn of phrase, as well as a master of design, having turned his fashion company into a billion dollar+ business. Case in point: the company tagline – “Kenneth Cole: Always on Purpose.”
That phrase speaks to Cole’s sense of mission that goes well beyond dollars and cents. His role as both entrepreneur and outspoken activist for social causes emerges in the documentary A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole, directed and produced by Dori Berinstein. Submarine Deluxe, the releasing arm of Submarine Entertainment, launches a limited theatrical run on for the film on June 13 at the IFC Center in NYC, expanding the following Friday to L.A. at the Landmark Nuart Theatre as well as other markets.
The theatrical openings will include Q&As in both markets — Kenneth Cole in New York and director Dori Berinstein plus special guests in L.A.
We have your first look at the film in the trailer above.
Kenneth Cole with some of his pithy quotes
Submarine Deluxe
“With unflinching determination, a visionary entrepreneur and fashion designer continues to take excessive, and questionably responsible, risks to his business in pursuit of addressing crucial social crises and igniting unprecedented social change,” notes a description of the film. “Kenneth Cole’s relentless commitment to AIDS, homelessness, LBGTQ+ rights, and now, mental health, has given voice to the voiceless, defied and shattered stigmas, provoked conversation, and empowered action for good. With both heart and ‘sole”, and through the fusion of business and philanthropy, you will witness the 40-year delicate balancing of the relevance and viability of both ‘The Man’ and ‘The Brand.’”
Alan Cumming interviewed for ‘A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole’
Submarine Deluxe
In the trailer, actor Alan Cumming says of Cole, “He’s the pun meister of all pun meisters.” Another case in point, a billboard on Sunset Blvd. in L.A. that showed a monk strap Kenneth Cole shoe with the line, “Buckle Up, it’s the law.” Cole can also be self-deprecating, as became evident in an interview about the documentary for the Sounds of Film with Tom Needham podcast.
“I think Dori did a lot with what she had to work with – considering the subject that was available for her,” he deadpanned.
Director-producer Dori Berinstein
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Hamptons International Film Festival
Berinstein, a Primetime Emmy winner for the PBS series American Masters and multiple Tony winner (for Stereophonic, Company, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And more), told the podcast she was drawn to the documentary project by the substance of the sole man at its heart.
“I was so eager to put something out into the world that really was inspiring and would empower people to have purpose in their lives and to think about how to make a difference,” she said. “I think Kenneth does that so magnificently both as a designer and as an activist. I thought the fusion of the two was so fascinating, and I really wanted to bring that story to the world because I personally found it so deeply inspiring.”
The documentary held its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York and went on to screen at DOC NYC, the Boulder International Film Festival in Colorado, and the Berkshire International Film Festival in Massachusetts.
Executive producers of A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole include Geralyn White Dreyfous, Regina K. Scully, Ryan Harrington, Elizabeth Armstrong, and Jack Lane. The film is edited by Elisa Bonora and Shannon McCarthy; cinematographers are John Campbell, Dan Fridman, and Jerry Risius. Adam Peters composed the score.
Watch the trailer for A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole above.
Content shared from deadline.com.