Kieselstein-Cord () is a brand founded by American designer, artist, and photographer Barry Kieselstein-Cord in 1972 in Manhattan, New York. Its products include jewelry, silver jewelry, belt buckles, bronze statuary, leather goods including handbags, eyewear, home furnishings, and accessories.
The designer has worked with Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis. The brand has been featured in a variety of internationally prominent publications including: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, The Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, People, Robb Report, Vibe, Vogue, and The Wall Street Journal.
The brand has been featured on several films including: Sex and the City, E!, Law & Order, Hard Copy, CNN, and NY1.
The brand designation derives from the designer's original family names: Von Kieselstein and Winercord, originating from Austrian-German ancestry. Branches of the family immigrated to the U.S. from the mid 1800s to 1900.
History
Early years
After graduating Parsons School of Design in combination with a program at New York University, Kieselstein-Cord entered the field of advertising where he won several awards including the Illustrators Society Award (New York), the International Hollywood Radio & Television Society Award, and multiple Art Directors Club of New York Awards. In 1972, he founded Kieselstein-Cord, with the mission to create a totally vertical American luxury company from basic concept to retail platform based on the historic precedence of French ateliers under King Louis XIV, and not dissimilar to the concept of Louis Comfort Tiffany's earliest establishment. However, Kieselstein-Cord built his firm with a unique, contemporary vision.
1970s–present
In 1971, Kieselstein-Cord began experimenting with sterling, however, the bulk of his early work was produced with plastic remnants left over from the 1930s and 1940s. By late 1971, he had progressed to sterling and natural materials, such as seasonally discarded deer-horns and leather trimmings. His first significant sale was to Bob M Lee, a big-game hunter and then owner of the Hunting World stores. The resulting profits from that sale allowed Kieselstein-Cord the facility to purchase his first large scale amount of sterling silver. Based on the accumulation of that material, he produced his first full sterling collection in 1972. The collection was presented to George Jensen's general merchandise manager, Charles Dishman. Dishman referred Cord to Remica Russell, the fine jewelry buyer for George Jensen. Russell agreed to buy the collection and represent Kieselstein-Cord at Jensen's U.S. flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City. The debut of Kieselstein-Cord at Jensen was an immediate success and led to the start of an international following. Among the many fans Kieselstein-Cord started to develop was the famous Spanish bullfighter El Cordobés, who bought the designer's large horse-head buckle, Diane Keaton, Cat Stevens, Liz Smith, and others. 1972 to '75 were pertinent growing years for the brand. Increasing publicity and groundbreaking design direction afforded Kieselstein-Cord extensive coverage in the national press. At this juncture, Kieselstein-Cord started touring the country to expand his business. He established the brand in secondary cities across the United States (i.e. Oklahoma City, OK, Cleveland, OH, Louisville, KY, etc.). His primary goal was large scale distribution of exquisite handmade luxury products through America's leading specialty retailers at that time (i.e. Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, and Bonwit Teller among others). Among these retailers was Lou Lattimore in Dallas, TX, where Kieselstein-Cord's products captured the eye of the then women's fashion buyer CeCe Eddy (later to become Kieselstein-Cord's wife and lifestyle brand model, now divorced and known today as CeCe Cord). During this period of growth, Kieselstein-Cord began to expand his employee base, bringing in young, talented, international craftspeople, and imbuing them with his mission and dedication to his artistic design vision.
In 1972, Valentino fashion director Eve Orton introduced Kieselstein-Cord to Calvin Klein. In 1973, Klein won his first Coty Award, showcasing Kieselstein-Cord's designs on his models. Klein continued to showcase Kieselstein-Cord's designs with his work, up through winning his second Coty Award in 1974. By 1979, Kieselstein-Cord, now a recognized American luxury brand, won his first Coty Award. In 1973, Kieselstein-Cord created a seminal piece for Mick Jagger's 30th birthday: a sterling silver skull necklace.