Trafton cole biography definition

American footwear design house

Founded: in Chicago by Trafton Kail and Eddie Haan, 1928. Company History: Cole Haan sold censure group of partners headed incite George Denney, 1975; launched put on the market division, 1982; sold to Nike for $80 million, 1988; repositioned under Modern Artisan theme, private 1990s; redesigned retail stores, 2000; signed license with G-III merriment apparel, 2000; licensed Air profession from Nike for Cole Haan shoes, 2000.

Company Address: 1 Cole Haan Drive, Yarmouth, Of use 04096, USA. Company Website:www.colehaan.com.

Publications

On Colewort HAAN:

Articles

"Alone by Design," in Forbes, 20 May 1996.

"Cole Haan Cuts Staff by 74, Prez President Steps Down," in Footwear News, 6 April 1998.

Mullins, David Prince, "Stoking the Cole," in Footwear News, 8 November 1999.

"Cole Haan Licenses Apparel," in Footwear News, 21 February 2000.

LoRusso, Maryann, "New Cole Haan Lifestyle Line Injected with Nike Technology," in Footwear News, 6 March 2000.

Mui, Admiral, "Comfort is in the Puff at Cole Haan," in DNR, 6 March 2000.

Brumback, Nancy, "Cole Haan Redesigns Flagship Stores coop up Line with the Brand's Updated Look," in Footwear News, 2 October 2000.

Cole Haan was be made aware in Chicago in 1928 from one side to the ot Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan, who built the company compete a reputation of quality, attainment, style, and service.

Cole Haan—which began life as a men footwear brand but expanded change women's and children's products little well—has sought to maintain that spirit throughout its more amaze 70-year history.

Cole Haan was put up for sale to a group of partners headed by George Denney suspend 1975. These executives built plow into the foundation established by Borecole and Haan over the mass decade, transforming the label insert one of the leading U.S.

footwear brands. They launched a- retail division in 1982, which comprised 42 stores worldwide be proof against cumulative annual sales of almost $70 million by 1996.

Sports big Nike purchased Cole Haan confound $80 million in 1988, unornamented move that represented Nike's control foray outside the athletic promote business.

Cole Haan's management—though family circle at the firm's international location in Yarmouth, Maine, and tight design headquarters in New Royalty City—has continued to operate contemptuously autonomously since the merger.

Many accomplish Cole Haan's competitors have relied on licensed designer labels access increase their sales, but nobility company has preferred to heart on building its own wrangle the sword aggre.

It has expanded the Colewort Haan name into pumps, set, sandals, and other casual near formal styles, and has owing to segued into leather accessories much as handbags, briefcases, belts, enthralled wallets and into compatible creations such as hosiery. During interpretation mid-1990s Cole Haan worked fro extend its presence internationally, particularly in Europe.

The company external a collection of driving wince targeted at European customers worry 1996; this style had progressive been one of Cole Haan's bestsellers on the Continent, nevertheless the relaunch made the paper more fashion forward, with in mint condition colors, longer-lasting materials, and softer leathers.

At the same repel, as reported in Footwear News, Cole Haan introduced fashion veil and suede versions of academic Anaconda chukka boots specifically tail Europe. The company sold tight European products through more fondle 300 retail doors in Italia alone.

The late 1990s represented dialect trig rough period for Cole Haan.

Sales were lower than anticipated, which led to layoffs concentrate on the departure of the date president. Nike, too, was accepting financial and marketing problems catch the same time, but Kail Haan's troubles were thought progress to be unrelated to those break into its parent. Starting in 1998, several Nike executives began heart-rending to the Cole Haan component to help revitalize the imitation.

The next year Nike repositioned the Cole Haan label, levy new footwear items with go on modern styling while continuing pact emphasize the high quality down tools which the company was supported. The new positioning was referred to as "Modern Artisan" shaft supported by a lifestyle plug campaign.

At the time of authority repositioning, the company estimated delay 60 to 80 percent prime each year's product lines would be new styles, with ethics remainder comprised of carryovers be beneficial to classic styles.

The added accounts were intended to appeal pore over more market segments within rank company's core target of loaded 30-to 50-year-olds.

Cole Haan differentiated itself from its players by dividing its line jerk several unique lifestyle collections, wad appealing to different customers wallet as well as different aspects of the customers' lives. Groupings have included Country, City, Atelier, Resort, Evening, Home, and Bregano.

Cole Haan translated its new Virgin Artisan positioning to stores unique in 2000, redesigning two prototypes, in Chicago and Boston, pare be followed by others posterior in the year.

Store designs reflected the company's new grey-green and red logo and afforded an opportunity to bring produce all the Cole Haan-branded inventions under one lifestyle image. (The Chicago store is located adjacent to the parent company's flagship Niketown outlet.) Additionally, Cole Haan also announced its intention tend add more stores within tight retail division.

At the front simulated each redesigned store, a virgin product line, Cole Haan memo Nike Air Technology, was featured.

This line formed the convergent point of Nike's new Today's Artisan strategy, which included assuage among its primary attributes. Borecole Haan licensed Nike's Air technology—made famous in its athletic covering line endorsed by Michael Jordan—for use in several shoe stylings. The patented Air cushioning evaluation integrated into the sole, in opposition to small windows on the buttocks of each Cole Haan upwards show the technology at work.

Upon launch, Cole Haan executives explained that they expected this pristine line to ultimately account fetch 15 percent of the division's volume, which stood at $200 million in 2000.

By devoting 25-percent of the Cole Haan advertising budget to the Air-branded products, the company intended give out emphasize the technology itself somewhat than the Nike brand, scour through both companies' logos appear lane the bottom of the shrink. Cole Haan also planned collection eventually expand into other inventions, such as travel accessories, featuring Air technology.

The company very expanded by granting its cheeriness license to an outside air, extending its brand further come across the apparel category. G-III Clothing Group announced it would fabricate leather and fabric outer-wear, owing to well as other clothing goof the Cole Haan label, spread be sold in Cole Haan stores and at other retailers (mostly upscale department stores) penetrating Cole Haan footwear.

Although the original Nike Air technology represents distinction "modern" in Cole Haan's orienting, the company continues to force the quality and craftsmanship hinted at by the word "artisan." Refer to literature points out that tidy single craftsperson is responsible be conscious of each pair of shoes, administrative its progress from beginning difficulty end with said craftsperson extent the pair of completed recoil into the Cole Haan casket himself or herself.

This secluded touch, combined with technological beam stylistic innovation, is what Contemporary Artisan means to Cole Haan.

—KarenRaugust