RING THE ALARM: KENNETH COLE STEPPING DOWN FROM KENNETH COLE

kenneth cole, posing with his new ceo, jill granoff for womens wear daily. (wwd.com)

new york - starting may 5th, kenneth cole will no longer be the chief executive of kenneth cole productions, the company he founded. jill granoff , executive of liz claiborne, will step in. as it stands, cole will continue on as chairman and chief creative officer of the company. here's what cole had to say to the press regarding the change: "it is a new era for me and the company. i am confident that havng an executive of jill's stature and abilities to partner with me and o ur strong management team, will allow the company to achieve even greater successes in its next chapter."