Details

Name

Cole of California

Brief Biography

founded 1923, American

Occupation

swimwear manufacturer

Description

Cole of California is an American brand of swimwear. It was made initially by West Coast Knitting Mills, a company founded by F L Drane and Joseph Drane in Vernon, California, United States of America, in 1917. The Dranes were joined by Morris Cohn in the early 1920s. In 1925 his son, Fred Cole (1901–64), who had been a silent actor in Hollywood, joined the company and persuaded them to create a line of women's swimwear he branded 'Cole of California'. Hollywood costume designer Margit Fellegi (1903–75) joined the company as Head Designer in 1936.

Cole changed the company name to Cole of California in 1941 after the death of his father. Cole hired swimmer and Hollywood actress, Esther Williams (1921–2013), as a spokesman and model. The company briefly manufactured swimwear for Christian Dior in 1950 and later that decade Cole's daughter Anne Cole (1926–2017) joined the company and later established her own Anne Cole Swimwear brand. The company and its brands were sold in 1960.

Cole of California gained a reputation as a commercial yet provocative swimwear manufacturer releasing it's 'Scandal' range in 1964. In 1993 facing bankruptcy the company was sold to Authentic Fitness, who merged the label with another Californian swimwear brand to form Catalina Cole. Authentic Fitness were later acquired by Warnaco, who returned to the historic brand names. In 2007 swimwear manufacturers InMocean purchased Cole of California and Anne Cole, as well as Catalina brands.