Fast Company recognizes KOHLER as iconic brand in U.S. design

KOHLER, Wisconsin. — November 22, 2011: Kohler Co., a global leader in kitchen and bath design and technology, received high design praise in Fast Company magazine’s recent 2011 design issue. The United States of Design feature, which highlights the movers and shakers bringing American design to the global forefront, says aesthetes who once dismissed American design as second-rate in comparison to European counterparts are now taking note of what’s happening on the other side of the pond. 

Kohler Co., noted in the article for its "fixtures that make the loo worth the visit,” was the only plumbing manufacturer recognized among Fast Company’s list of 30 design strongholds in corporate America and was one of 11 brands to earn a spot in the Icon category. Others icons include Apple, Nike, Starbucks, and OXO; additional brands were categorized as sleepers (The Container Store, McDonald’s) or newcomers (Tesla, Gilt Group).

"This is a terrific acknowledgement of our deep commitment to staying on the leading edge of design and technology in product and process,” says Kohler’s president and chief operating officer David Kohler. "Credit goes to all our associates who drive innovation every day and to my father Herb Kohler, our Chairman, for keeping this foremost in our minds over the last five decades.”

Kohler’s guiding principles of living on the leading edge of design innovation has been underscored over the years by many ground-breaking product launches, such as the Karbon articulating kitchen faucet or the Numi toilet—a business approach applied in the Kitchen and Bath Group and throughout the diverse company’s other divisions focused on the furniture, hospitality and power industries.

"THE BOLD LOOK OF KOHLER” was originally conceived as an advertising campaign for the Kohler plumbing business in 1967and remains a well-known tagline as a nod to Kohler’s longstanding history, commitment and vision for developing products on the leading edge of design and technology.

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wis., Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines and power generation systems, tile and home interiors, and an international host at its award-winning hospitality and world-class golf destinations.