Buying a Kate Spade handbag was a coming-of-age ritual for a generation of American women. The designer created an accessories empire that helped define the look of an era. The purses she made became a status symbol and a token of adulthood.
Ms. Spade, who was found dead Tuesday in what police characterized as a suicide by hanging, worked as an editor before making the leap to designing, constructing her first sketches from paper and Scotch tape. She would come to attach her name to a bounty of products, and ideas: home goods and china and towels and so much else, all of it poised atop the thin line between accessibility and luxury.
One of the first of a wave of American women contemporary designers who emerged in the 1990s, she built a brand on the appeal of clothes and accessories that made shoppers smile. She embodied her own aesthetic, with her proto-1960s bouffant, nerd glasses and playful grin. Beneath that image was a business mind that understood the opportunities in building a lifestyle brand, almost before the term officially existed.
Her name became a shorthand for the cute, clever bags that were an instant hit with cosmopolitan women in the early stages of their careers 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.
After news broke that the designer Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment this morning, her fans, and those of the company she founded with her husband Andy Spade in 1993, expressed admiration for her designs on social media.
Many people, including celebrities like Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Mindy Kaling and Bette Midler, posted fond remembrances of the first Kate Spade bag they purchased.
(Read the news story on her death.)
Ms. Spade once said she created her own company because she was frustrated with the over-accessorized styles of handbags that were prevalent in the 1990s. She wanted “a functional bag that was sophisticated and had some style,” she told The New York Times in 1999.
Soon after the Spades opened their first store in SoHo, Ms. Spade’s designs became a coveted but accessible status symbol, winning industry awards and lifelong fans.
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Retail icon Kate Spade, known for her eponymous fashion line, was found dead at her Manhattan apartment on Tuesday. The cause of death was an apparent suicide, an NYPD spokesperson told Forbes. She was 55 years old.
The news was first reported by the Associated Press.
Last year Spade made headlines after her label sold to Coach for $2.4 billion. But she didn’t cash in on that deal. In 1999 she and her partners sold 56% of the business to Neiman Marcus for $34 million, before offloading the remainder in 2006 for $59 million.
In 1993 Spade, a former accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine, launched the brand alongside her future husband, Andy, whom she met in college. They funded the business with $35,000 Andy had saved. "Even my mother said I'd gotten cocky — and what the heck was I doing giving up a job with [health] insurance?" she told Forbes in 1998.
Just before her first trade show, Spade ripped out the labels bearing her name from the interior of the handbags and affixed them to the outside. After the products appeared in the pages of Vogue, they quickly became a smash success. Annual revenue climbed from less than $100,000 in 1993 to $1.5 million in 1995. By 1998 the company was hauling in $27 million in sales.
A week after the 2006 sale, Neiman Marcus sold Kate Spade to fashion giant Liz Claiborne for a reported $124 million, including debt. Then, in 2014, Liz Claiborne rebranded as Kate Spade & Co.
In 2016 Spade and her husband launched a new line called Frances Valentine, named for their daughter.
Editor's note: If you are suffering from depression or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) for free and confidential support.
(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.
