Renowned designer Kate Spade was born Katherine Noel Brosnahan on December 24, 1962, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. She was also the namesake and former co-owner of the designer brand Kate Spade New York.
The American fashion designer Kate Spade became known for launching a successful line of handbags in the 1990s.
She launched her own line of Kate Spade handbags in 1993, and the company expanded to include numerous retail outlets and selling its products through high-end stores.
Spade sold the remaining shares of her company in 2006, but later resurfaced with a new fashion brand. She was found dead in her New York apartment from an apparent suicide on June 5, 2018.
Early Years
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In 1985, after earning a degree in journalism, she went to work for Mademoiselle magazine in New York City.
She would spend five years at Mademoiselle, eventually becoming a senior fashion editor and head of accessories, before leaving in 1991 to put her creative energy toward designing her own line.
Fashion Success
Kate Spade put her knowledge and interest in accessories to work, launching her own brand of handbags in 1993 and opening a small boutique in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan soon after.
Her handbags were distinctive for their modern, sleek look, pops of color and utilitarian shapes. Her husband became her partner, and, over the years, their business expanded internationally.
The company, which went on to carry fashion items beyond her signature bags, grew to include several retail outlets and saw its products featured in such high-end stores like Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. In 1996 the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Spade's classic designs by giving her the "America's New Fashion Talent in Accessories" award.
Kate Spade went on to offer products in a range of categories, from eyewear to shoes to paper goods, in more than 450 stores globally. While they sold the business to the Neiman Marcus Group in 1999 — which was later sold to Fifth & Pacific (formerly Liz Claiborne) in 2006 — the Spades remained active forces within the brand they built.
In 2004, Kate Spade shared her personal style and philosophies in her three books: Manners, Occasions and Style.
Two years later, Kate and her husband sold the Kate Spade brand so that Kate could devote more time to raising their child. Around the same time, the couple invested in Plum TV, a small television network that broadcasts in the elite vacation spots: the Hamptons, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
In 2016, the Spades, along with their longtime friends, Elyce Arons and shoe designer Paola Venturi, launched their new fashion endeavor, That year also brought the introduction of a Minnie Mouse-themed line of products, its popularity leading to a new batch of Minnie purses, phone accessories and jewelry in 2017.
Personal Life
In 1983, Spade met her future husband, Andy, while both were students at Arizona State University, and they married in 1994. Andy is the brother of actor and comedian David Spade. The couple welcomed their child, Frances Beatrix Spade, in February 2005.
Death
On June 5, 2018, law enforcement officials announced that Spade had been found dead by housekeeping staff at her Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan from an apparent suicide. She reportedly hung herself by a scarf tied to a door.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy," the family said in a statement to the New York Daily News. The renowned designer was just 55.
