She did not know what to call the company at first and decided to make it a combination of her and Andy’s names. (The couple married in 1994.) After the first show, she realized that the bags needed a little something extra to catch people’s eyes. She took the label, which originally had been on the inside of the bag, and sewed it to the outside. With that gesture, she created a brand identity and sowed the seeds of empire.
Julie Gilhart, then the fashion director of Barneys New York, picked up the label for the department store in the early nineties. It was a great success. “It grew,” she recalled. “It was so fast-growing. It just became a business that was successful wherever it was.”
The ’90s were “the time of the handbag,” Ms. Gilhart said, and Kate Spade was able to bring bags to young women whose budgets were not yet at designer levels. “Kate and Andy always had their thumb on the pulse,” she said. “They put their passion into an opportunity.”
Within a few years, they had opened a SoHo shop and were collecting industry awards: given a rising-talent award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995, she was named its accessory designer of the year in 1997, and best accessories designer at the Accessories Council’s ACE Awards in 1999.
Her name became a shorthand for the cute, clever bags that were an instant hit with career women and, later, young girls — status symbols of a more attainable, all-American sort than a Fendi clutch or Chanel bag. Ms. Spade became the very visible face of her brand and paved the way for female lifestyle designers like Tory Burch or Jenna Lyons of J Crew. In 1998, the year before the Spades sold their shares of the company to the Neiman Marcus Group, it had $28 million in sales.
New York (CNN) Kate Brosnahan Spade, the fashion designer and businesswoman, hanged herself in an apparent suicide Tuesday at a Manhattan apartment, according to a New York Police Department source.
Police responded at 10:10 a.m. after Spade was found by her housekeeper, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said. A suicide note was found at the scene, he said. Spade addressed her daughter in the note, according to two NYPD sources.
Spade, 55, started Kate Spade New York in 1993 and opened her first shop in the city three years later, the company's website states
"Debuting with just six silhouettes, she combined sleek, utilitarian shapes and colorful palettes in an entirely new way," the site says.
Best known for its colorful handbags, Kate Spade New York has more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the United States and more than 175 stores internationally, the site states.
Over time, she distanced herself from her business.
In 1999, she and her husband, Andy Spade, sold 56% of the brand to Neiman Marcus for $33.6 million. Liz Claiborne acquired the company in 2007, and Spade left her namesake brand. The luxury fashion company Coach announced plans in May 2017 to buy Kate Spade for $2.4 billion
Kate Spade New York issued a statement confirming the "incredibly sad news" of their eponymous founder's death.
"Although Kate has not been affiliated with the brand for more than a decade, she and her husband and creative partner, Andy, were the founders of our beloved brand," the statement said. "Kate will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time."
"We honor all the beauty she brought into this world," the company said in a tweet.
More than a purse
Spade was found hanged by a scarf she allegedly tied to a doorknob, an NYPD source said.
Her death prompted an outpouring of grief among fans and her company's customers , including Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump.
My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate's family, friends and loved ones in my heart. — Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade's tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another's pain or the burden they carry. If you are struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, please, please seek help. https://t.co/eruSexNoGj — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 5, 2018
"Everyone remembers their first Kate Spade," CNN White House reporter and former fashion editor Kate Bennett said. "(The brand) became one of those accessible but quirky fun, timeless labels that everyone had to have, and her rise was synonymous with her name."
For many women, a Kate Spade handbag was a bridge between Main Street clothes and high-end fashion, and it functioned as a symbol of professional achievement.
A year into being an attorney, my first splurge on myself was my (still) perfect #KateSpade black purse. Functional, crisp, professional, gorgeous. It takes a beautiful mind to design beautiful things. #RIP pic.twitter.com/NieF3sS7uI — ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕪𝕒 (@ChayaBaliga) June 5, 2018
I was 22 when I moved to NYC and got my first real job and it even paid overtime. My first check that had OT hours in it, I set aside that money and bought myself a @katespadeny bag. It was 1998 and I felt so proud and successful. #RIPKateSpade ♥️ — alyssa mastromonaco (@AlyssaMastro44) June 5, 2018
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, which held a star-studded awards ceremony Monday night, posted a statement from Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Kolb saying they were devastated to hear of Spade's death.
"She was a great talent who had an immeasurable impact on American fashion and the way the world viewed American accessories," the statement said.
Cindi Leive, a former editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, said that part of Spade's legacy is that she put her entire personality into her work.
"She understood that women are going to respond to things that feel like they're made by a human, that they are expressing someone's personality," Leive said.
"If you put a pulse into it and every fiber of your being, people are going to respond. Now, that's kind of a given. Everybody wants to create their own personal lifestyle brand," she added. "But that was new at the time, and in a lot of ways, the contemporary version of it really came from her."
Kate Spade & Co. handbags are displayed this year at a shopping center in Yokohama, Japan.
Before making the jump to designing, she was a senior fashion editor at the fashion magazine Mademoiselle.
Conversation at restaurant inspired Spade
Last year, Spade and her husband spoke with NPR's "How I Built This" about how they developed the company into a major lifestyle brand.
"So, Andy and I were out, honestly, at a Mexican restaurant," Kate Spade said, "and he just said, what about handbags? And I said, honey, you just don't start a handbag company. And he said, why not? How hard can it be? (Laughter) I thought, OK, really? He regrets those words."
Asking for help The suicide rate in the United States has seen sharp increases in recent years. It's now the 10th leading cause of death in the country, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Studies have shown that the risk of suicide declines sharply when people call the national suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK There is also a crisis text line. The lines are staffed by a mix of paid professionals and unpaid volunteers trained in crisis and suicide intervention. The confidential environment, the 24-hour accessibility, a caller's ability to hang up at any time and the person-centered care have helped its success, advocates say.
Joe Zee, a fashion journalist who had worked with Spade, recalled her telling him of the vision to start the handbag line.
"This wasn't something women did or just anyone really did back then in the early '90s," he told CNN. "And to quit a coveted magazine editor's job to really be able to do that ... it was so visionary and so ahead of its time."
"She always had such a great ray of light about her. She was so jovial," Zee said.
(CNN) Celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham and Olivia Munn are among those who have paid tribute to designer Kate Spade, who died Tuesday. She was 55.
Spade is best known for founding her eponymous fashion brand, recognized for its handbags and use of bright, vivid colors and patterns.
I am heartbroken about the news of Kate Spade. I have worn her clothes many, many times. They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them. You couldn't walk into her boutiques and not smile. Rest In Peace, Kate. — Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) June 5, 2018
Very saddened to hear about the passing of Kate Spade. Mental illness does not discriminate and can happen to anyone with any circumstances. I hope she has found peace ❤️ — Lucy Hale (@lucyhale) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade was more than a designer. She had a quirky visual language that captivated Bat Mitzvah girls and artists alike. She was also a staple of NYC who spread good will. My heart breaks for her family. Thank you, Kate, from one of the millions you made feel beautiful. — 💎 Lena Dunham 💎 (@lenadunham) June 5, 2018
My very first designer purse was a black, shoulder strap Kate Spade. I treasured it and was obsessed with keeping the little white Kate Spade label clean. It's funny how a purse can instantly make you feel like an adult. Rest in love. ❤️❤️❤️⛅️ — om (@oliviamunn) June 5, 2018
Spade was found dead Tuesday morning in her New York City apartment from apparent suicide.
"I am heartbroken about the news of Kate Spade. I have worn her clothes many, many times," Mindy Kaling wrote. "They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them."
Bryce Dallas Howard, who served as a brand ambassador for Kate Spade in 2011, described how she was inspired by Spade.
Kate Spade Dead at 55 Suicide by Hanging ... Coroner Removes Body
Fashion Designer Kate Spade Dead at 55, Suicide by Hanging, Coroner Removes Body
Exclusive Details
12:30 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources confirm Kate's husband, Andy was home at the time she died.
11:45 AM PT -- Our law enforcement sources confirm the note Kate left behind was addressed to her daughter ... telling the 13-year-old the suicide wasn't her fault.
Iconic fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead of an apparent suicide Tuesday morning in her NYC apartment ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources confirm a housekeeper found Kate's body at 10:20 AM ET in her Park Avenue home. We're told she hanged herself using a scarf tied to her bedroom door knob. She was pronounced dead on the scene. We're also told she left a note.
Kate got her start in the '80s working for women's magazine "Mademoiselle" in Manhattan, when she moved in with Andy Spade -- David Spade's brother. She and Andy met while attending Arizona State University and working at a clothing store.
Together, they launched Kate Spade Handbags in 1993, and it blossomed into a full-scale clothing and jewelry line. Kate and Andy got married in 1994.
Kate sold her company in 2007 and took some time off to raise her daughter -- but got back in the game in 2016 by launching a new fashion brand called Frances Valentine ... named after her daughter, who's now 13 years old.
Kate was 55.
RIP
