TL;DR – Fashion editor to iconic designer.
You would probably have already heard that fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her NYC apartment.
It is said that she was suffering from depression and eventually hung herself with a scarf in her Park Avenue home.
Sigh.
If you, like many other women out there who once owned a Kate Spade handbag to symbolise you graduating from teenhood into your “adult” years, then you would definitely relate to these Tweets:
I literally cried when I bought my first Kate Spade purse, because I felt like I was actually doing something right because I saved for it & could afford it. Kate Spade’s loss is devastating–sending all my love & thoughts to her loved ones. https://t.co/xA2m1yKPvA
— tan¡a (@tahneeah) June 5, 2018
When I got my first Kate Spade purse for Christmas one year, I carried that blue purse everywhere I went b/c it made me like I was a sophisticated, chic, classy lady living my dream in New York City. Kate Spade empowered girls to dream & to find a little magic in everything💓
— Mia Sophia (@miasofiaa) June 5, 2018
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
It was my first job and my first real paycheck, and I wanted to buy myself something special to treat myself, instead of just paying utility bills and rent. So I bought a rectangular brown satin Kate Spade bag. I wanted something special, and I got it. #RIPKate #KateSpade ♠️
— Kate Coyne (@KatePeople) June 5, 2018
Here are some interesting facts about the iconic designer:
1) How it all started
Legally named Katherine Noel Brosnahan, she started the fashion brand in 1993 with her then-boyfriend turned husband, Andy Spade. Hence “Kate Spade”.
2) Frances Valentine
Kate and Andy eventually sold the company to Neiman Marcus to spend more time with their daughter, Francis Beatrix Valentine Spade. Kate got back to designing in 2016 by launching a new fashion brand called Frances Valentine.
3) Kate Valentine
She then changed her name to Kate Valentine to differentiate herself and her new line from her original brand.
4) She is David Spade’s sister-in-law
In case you’re wondering who is David Spade, he is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer, and television personality. You can catch him on Saturday Night Live.
5) Journalist-turned-designer
She had graduated from Arizona State University with a journalism degree and moved to New York where she got a temp job at Mademoiselle Magazine, eventually working her way up to Accessories Editor at the fashion publication.