Candie and Cole

Candie's Inc. (Valhalla, N.Y.) announced that it has licensed the right to manufacture, sell and distribute footwear under the Bongo brand to Kenneth Cole Productions (KCP).

Under the terms of the new license, KCP will take over the manufacture and distribution of Bongo footwear for fall 2003.

“Bongo is the fastest growing jeanswear brand in the junior arena,” says Neil Cole, ceo and president of Candie's. “We are building on this explosive growth with a sexy new print and television campaign that we believe will really connect with our customers and fuel additional brand excitement. We are looking forward to working with KCP to develop new product to continue to excite the market.”

According to Paul Blum, president of Kenneth Cole, “We are very excited to acquire the rights to the Bongo brand for footwear. Candie's has done a great job building Bongo's name recognition in the marketplace, and its customer base and channel of distribution will be a terrific complement to our existing brands.”

Candie's is a designer and marketer of young women's footwear under the Candie's and Bongo brands and jeanswear under the Bongo brand through its wholly owned subsidiary, Unzipped Apparel LLC. The company also offers teen-focused licensed merchandise such as fragrances, beauty products and handbags. Candie's sells to mass marketers, department stores, specialty shops, 13 company-owned stores, and 10 outlet stores.