Kenneth Cole Productions has released the second installment of the spring 2025 “Purposeful Voices” series in collaboration with Emmy award-winning, multiplatinum recording artist Rachel Platten.
Platten and Cole are teaming up to raise awareness for mental health and resources this May, which is Mental Health Awareness month. Through an impactful music video, that will be released Thursday, the brand is bringing attention to mental health with a stripped-back, tender version of Platten’s record, “Bad Thoughts,” from her latest album, “I am Rachel Platten.”
Platten is the most recent ambassador to join Cole’s nonprofit, The Mental Health Coalition. The initial “Purposeful Voices” campaign, that launched earlier this spring, featured storyteller Isabella Strahan, a cancer survivor and advocate for hope.
Cole’s spring 2025 womenswear collection, designed under the creative direction of Emily Cole, is further elevated throughout the campaign and film with the artist styled in a curated assortment of “Rachel’s Picks.”
“For over 40 years, we’ve used our voice to provoke thought and inspire conversation about important social issues and to help others feel seen, feel heard, and feel relevant. This spring, the brand launched our Purposeful Voices campaign, and is grateful to partner with Rachel Platten, an inspiring singer-songwriter who uses her own voice to support an empower others,” said Kenneth Cole, chairman and chief creative officer of Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. and chairman of the Mental Health Coalition.
Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole
The campaign film encapsulates Platten’s journey coming to terms with her own mental health struggles through her song, “Bad Thoughts,” her latest “Fight Song” anthem. Cole and Platten chose this song as it tells how Platten overcame postpartum depression and anxiety, while also navigating the artificial facade of fame to realize her authentic, honest self.
“I feel incredibly honored and so very proud to be partnering with the Mental Health Coalition and Kenneth Cole,” said Platten. “After the whirlwind success of my first major label album and subsequently entering motherhood, I fought a brutal and long battle with my mental health. Now that I’m finding joy in my life and my music again, I once again feel pulled towards service. But this time, it’s deeply personal. I hope to use my music, my voice and platform alongside Kenneth Cole and MHC to help remove the stigma around mental health and raise awareness around all the incredible tools and resources available through their platform.”
Rachel Platten in Kenneth Cole.
Carlos Serrao, courtesy of Kenneth Cole Productions
Cole and Platten’s partnership began at the Mental Health Coalition’s 2025 Wellbeing at Work Day on Dec. 3, 2024, an annual event aimed to cultivate healthier, more productive workplaces nationwide, where Platten performed her cult-classic “Fight Song.”
“Rachel’s Picks” are available to shop on KennethCole.com and in select retailers, including Macy’s and Nordstrom. In addition, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, from May 1 through May 4, 100 percent of sales on Kennethcole.com will be donated to the Mental Health Coalition in support of their mission to end the stigma around mental health.
