Cole Haan is a global lifestyle brand with a focus on men's and women's footwear and accessories. Founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1928, Cole Haan currently has headquarters in both New York City and Greenland, NH.
History
The company name comes from founders Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan, and was originally named Cole, Rood & Haan when the company was strictly a men's footwear label. Today it offers many products, including men's and women's dress and casual footwear, belts, hosiery, handbags, gloves, scarves, hats, outerwear, and sunglasses.
Cole Haan was sold to a group of partners headed by George Denney in 1975. These executives built upon the foundation established by Cole and Haan over the following decade, transforming the label into one of the leading U.S. footwear brands. They launched a retail division in 1982, which comprised 40 plus stores worldwide and cumulative annual sales of nearly $70 million by 1996.
Nike Inc. announced on May 31, 2012, that it will be removing its stake in Cole Haan to focus on other complementary brands and the Nike brand itself.
Cole Haan was bought by Apax Partners Worldwide LLP for $570 million on November 16, 2012, from Nike, Inc.. Cole Haan has its headquarters in Greenland, New Hampshire, and its design center in New York City. Jack A. Boys is its current CEO.
The Cole Haan Maine headquarters relocated from Yarmouth to Scarborough in summer 2011. In October 2013 it was announced that the headquarters would relocate to Greenland, New Hampshire.
Suppliers
Horween Leather Company supplies leather shells for footwear to Cole Haan.
Retail stores
The company's flagship stores are found in locations including:
- Flatiron, New York City
- Rockefeller Center, New York City
- Soho, New York City
- Columbus Circle, New York City
- Century City, California
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Dallas, Texas
- San Francisco, California
- Tokyo, Japan
Cole Haan products are also sold at retailers such as Nordstrom, Shoe Carnival, Zappos, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Hudson's Bay Company and other department stores and independent stores nationwide, as well as through its own outlet stores found in outlet malls throughout the country. Additionally, Cole Haan has stores and shop-in-shops globally in countries including Indonesia, Korea, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Thailand, The Philippines, and Canada. However, Cole Haan was hoped to expand its business in Europe, but does not have any store as well as they never had stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Sustainability
On February 25, 2008, the company announced it would discontinue using real animal fur in its products for business and sustainability reasons.
Collaborations
Cole Haan chose Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova to headline its Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 advertising campaigns.
Cole Haan is known for collaborations with designers, athletes, and tastemakers. Current product collaborations include a men's footwear capsule collection with CFDA-nominated menswear designer Todd Snyder and a collection of women's ballet flats designed in partnership with three dancers of New York City Ballet: Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild, and Gretchen Smith, inspired by their lifestyle from studio to street.
References
External links
- Cole Haan official website
