After a seven-year hiatus from the runway, Kenneth Cole is returning to the runway at next week’s New York Fashion Week (NWFW) to show his Fall 2013 Collection and celebrate the company’s 30-years of successful business.  But before he and designs walk the runway he jumped feet-first into social media, with what I can only assume were well-clad feet, and hosted a Twitter Party this past Thursday.

*posted by @kennethcole. Runway shot from his last runway show in 2006.

Lead by @bryanboy, and @bagsnob, Kenneth answered questions about his upcoming Fall 2012 collection, the industry changes his seen in the last few years, and of course the ubiquitous role-of-social-media topic.

When people ask me what I enjoy about Twitter, my answer usually includes accessibility.  You have the opportunity to get to know and interact with people that may not be in your typical daily circle.  This event is a great example of that benefit!

Here are a few of the highlights:

What designers did you aspire to be like when you got your start?  -@bagsnob
Calvin Klein, Armani, and Ralph Lauren

What fashion staple do you suggest should be in everyone’s wardrobe? -@LuckyMe18
A leather coat, black jeans, and boots by your favorite #NYC designer

How has the world of blogging influenced the styling of the Kenneth Cole Collection?  -@bryanboy Bloggers provide a lot of inspiration for new age style.

As a designer, how do you compare fashion bloggers to editors? -@bagsnob
Bloggers are the digital editors of today.

Kenneth (can I call you Ken?) answered several questions about the upcoming collection:

Are there any new fabrics that you use in your new collection? -@AmieZick
Yes, coated wools that look like exotic skins.

Black is like your symbol.  What is the new color to be introduced? -@niclaireOttawa
Are you going with bright colors for 2013? -@bayou_dreamz  You’ll see infusions of red and green and new shades of black. For Fall13, the color is rich and the pops are more jewel toned with new shades of black.

In a series of 140-character tweets Kenneth came across as someone I want to know, with an understandable bit of apprehension to social media, and a solid sense of humor:

New York Fashion Week is merely days away! Looking forward to seeing the collection. You can watch his return live on the Live Kenneth Cole website.  Feb 7th @ 7pm.

In Style,
Natalie