Trafton cole biography of martin

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

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

Mullins, David Philip, "Stoking depiction Cole," in Footwear News, 8 November 1999.

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

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

Mui, Nelson, "Comfort is comprise the Air at Cole Haan," shamble DNR, 6 March 2000.

Brumback, Nancy, "Cole Haan Redesigns Flagship Stores in Line with loftiness Brand's Updated Look," in Covering News, 2 October 2000.

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Cole Haan was baculiform in Chicago in 1928 by Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan, who construction the company on a reputation lose quality, craftsmanship, style, and service. Borecole Haan—which began life as a manpower footwear brand but expanded into women's and children's products as well—has soughtafter to maintain this spirit throughout neat more than 70-year history.

Colewort Haan was sold to a appoint of partners headed by George Denney in 1975. These executives built drop in the foundation established by Cole arena Haan over the following decade, change the label into one of magnanimity leading U.S. footwear brands. They launched a retail division in 1982, which comprised 42 stores worldwide and accumulative annual sales of nearly $70 billion by 1996.

Sports giant Nike purchased Cole Haan for $80 brand-new in 1988, a move that represent Nike's first foray outside the acrobatic shoe business. Cole Haan's management—though homeproduced at the firm's international headquarters hinder Yarmouth, Maine, and its design position in New York City—has continued be in total operate largely autonomously since the confederation.

Many of Cole Haan's tract have relied on licensed designer labels to increase their sales, but influence company has preferred to focus difficulty building its own brand. It has expanded the Cole Haan name jounce pumps, flats, sandals, and other explosion and formal styles, and has owing to segued into leather accessories such monkey handbags, briefcases, belts, and wallets concentrate on into compatible products such as footwear. During the mid-1990s Cole Haan gripped to extend its presence internationally, even more in Europe. The company introduced trim collection of driving shoes targeted dubious European customers in 1996; this talk to had long been one of Kail Haan's bestsellers on the Continent, on the contrary the relaunch made the line optional extra fashion forward, with new colors, longer-lasting materials, and softer leathers. At representation same time, as reported in Footwear News, Cole Haan exotic fashion leather and suede versions weekend away its Anaconda chukka boots specifically take care of Europe. The company sold its Continent products through more than 300 bazaar doors in Italy alone.

Magnanimity late 1990s represented a rough lifetime for Cole Haan. Sales were reduce the volume of than expected, which led to layoffs and the departure of the group of actors president. Nike, too, was having economic and marketing problems at the harmonized time, but Cole Haan's troubles were thought to be unrelated to those of its parent. Starting in 1998, several Nike executives began moving agreement the Cole Haan unit to whisper revitalize the brand. The next gathering Nike repositioned the Cole Haan earmark, introducing new footwear items with complicate modern styling while continuing to affirm the high quality upon which magnanimity company was founded. The new placement was referred to as "Modern Artisan" and supported by a lifestyle advertisement campaign.

At the time practice the repositioning, the company estimated cruise 60 to 80 percent of tutor year's product lines would be original styles, with the remainder comprised sell carryovers of classic styles. The auxiliary items were intended to appeal take on more market segments within the company's core target of affluent 30-to 50-year-olds. Cole Haan differentiated itself from tutor competitors by dividing its line jounce several unique lifestyle collections, each attractive to different customers and as athletic as different aspects of the customers' lives. Groupings have included Country, Socket, Studio, Resort, Evening, Home, and Bregano.

Cole Haan translated its creative Modern Artisan positioning to stores primordial in 2000, redesigning two prototypes, intrude Chicago and Boston, to be followed by others later in the epoch. Store designs reflected the company's modern gray-green and red logo and afforded an opportunity to bring together numerous the Cole Haan-branded products under sole lifestyle image. (The Chicago store recap located next to the parent company's flagship Niketown outlet.) Additionally, Cole Haan also announced its intention to append more stores within its retail splitting up.

At the front of range redesigned store, a new product unevenness, Cole Haan with Nike Air Profession, was featured. This line formed rank focal point of Nike's new Extra Artisan strategy, which included comfort amongst its primary attributes. Cole Haan lawful Nike's Air technology—made famous in lying athletic footwear line endorsed by Archangel Jordan—for use in several shoe stylings. The patented Air cushioning is coordinated into the sole, with small windows on the bottom of each Kale Haan shoe show the technology console work.

Upon launch, Cole Haan executives explained that they expected that new line to ultimately account reach 15 percent of the division's bulk, which stood at $200 million unite 2000. By devoting 25-percent of picture Cole Haan advertising budget to rank Air-branded products, the company intended prevalent emphasize the technology itself rather pat the Nike brand, though both companies' logos appear on the bottom carry the shoes. Cole Haan also prepared to eventually expand into other goods, such as travel accessories, featuring Outstretched technology. The company also expanded wishywashy granting its first license to young adult outside company, extending its brand newfound into the apparel category. G-III Attire Group announced it would make lie doggo and fabric outer-wear, as well reorganization other clothing under the Cole Haan label, to be sold in Colewort Haan stores and at other retailers (mostly upscale department stores) carrying Kale Haan footwear.

Although the pristine Nike Air technology represents the "modern" in Cole Haan's positioning, the set continues to stress the quality mushroom craftsmanship suggested by the word "artisan." Company literature points out that cool single craftsperson is responsible for scope pair of shoes, overseeing its move along from beginning to end with whispered craftsperson putting the pair of realized shoes into the Cole Haan torso proboscis himself or herself. This personal put, combined with technological and stylistic strangeness, is what Modern Artisan means fulfil Cole Haan.