Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. Names Paul Blum as Chief Executive Officer

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Jun 10, 2011, 07:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. (NYSE: KCP) announced today that effective June 20, 2011, Paul Blum will be appointed to the position of CEO. Mr. Blum is a veteran in retail and wholesale businesses with extensive knowledge in marketing and e-commerce. Kenneth Cole will continue as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, maintaining his creative role over design and advertising. Mr. Blum will report to Mr. Cole and join the Company's Board of Directors.

Hired in March as Vice Chairman, Mr. Blum partnered with Mr. Cole to develop an overall strategic vision for The Company and to outline the necessary changes to enable the business to even better realize and leverage its potential.

Mr. Cole said, "Since the beginning of our partnership 20 years ago, Paul and I have developed a tremendous ability to collaborate and achieve results. With his deep knowledge of our brands and businesses, we are excited to restart this partnership and benefit from his broad range of experience. We look forward to demonstrating our capabilities as we emerge from a long period of restructuring, and to reinvigorate our plans for growth."

Mr. Blum brings over 25 years of experience in footwear, accessories, apparel, wholesaling and retailing to the position. He most recently held the position of CEO at luxury jewelry company David Yurman Inc. Under Paul's leadership, the David Yurman business grew significantly and developed into an international luxury brand with strategic retail expansion into Asia and Europe. Also during his tenure, the company diversified its marketing investment with the launch of ground breaking digital and social media campaigns, and a highly successful e-commerce platform. Prior to that, Mr. Blum spent 15 years at Kenneth Cole, a time when the company saw some of its largest growth, as Executive Vice President before being promoted in 1994 to President and COO.

Mr. Blum commented, "I am excited and enthusiastic about returning to Kenneth Cole at such a great time for the Company. I look forward to working with Kenneth again and the very talented management team to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities to leverage its strength, and unique heritage in the global marketplace"

About Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.

Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. designs, sources and markets a broad range of footwear, handbags, apparel and accessories under the brand names Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Unlisted and Le Tigre, as well as footwear under the proprietary trademark Gentle Souls. 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.

SOURCE Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.