Fashion non-profit to honor Kenneth Cole

NEW YORK YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund has announced that it will honor Kenneth Cole with the prestigious AMY award at its YMA Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner on Jan. 9, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis in New York. The annual YMA event has been renamed this year to commemorate The Geoffrey Beene Foundation’s recent alliance with the fund.

Abusiness that began 25 years ago out of the back of a 40 foot trailer, Kenneth Cole Productions has risen to the top of American fashion. As chairman of amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research, Kenneth goes far beyond lending his name to a line of clothing and accessories. Kenneth is also involved with HELP USA, a non-profit homeless organization, and sits on the board of five additional charities.

“We think it is particularly fitting that we honor Kenneth during the inaugural year of our alliance with The Geoffrey Beene Foundation,” said Virginia Mainiero, YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund president. “We are of course recognizing him for his positive impact on our industry but more importantly for his enormous contributions to our society. We are pleased to take our turn in honoring this distinguished American during this important time in our organization’s 70 year history,” she added. 

YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is a not for profit organization dedicated to advancing the fashion industry through scholarships, mentoring and internship programs, in support of emerging talent and future leaders.